UC-NRLF 


B  ^  at?  sib 


ppil 


HANDICRAFT  SERIES. 

A  Series  of  Practical   Manuals. 

Edited    by    PAUL    N.    HASLUCK,    Editor    of    "Work." 

Price  SOcts.  each,  post  paid. 

House     Decoration.       Comprising    Whitewashing,     Paperhanging, 

Painting,  etc.     With  79  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 
Consents.  — Colour  ^nd  Paints.    Pigments,  Oils,  Driers,  Varnishes,  etc.    Tools 
used  by  Painters.     How  to  Mix  Oil  Paints.     Distemper  or  Tempera  Painting. 
Whitewashing  and  Decorating  a  Ceiling.     Painting  a  Room.    Papering  a  Room. 
Embellishment  of  Walls  and  Ceilings. 
Boot  Making;  and  Mending;.     Including  Repairing,  Lasting,  and 

Finishing.     With  179  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 
Contents. — Repairing  Htels  and  Half-Soliog.     Patching  Boots  and  Shoes. 
Re-Welting  and  Re-Soling.     Boot  ^Pjllaking.     La<5ting  the  Upper.       Sewing  and 
Stitching.     Making  the  Heel.     Knifing  and  Finishing.     Making  Riveted  Boots 
and  Shoes. 
Hov«f  to  Write  Sigrns,  Tickets,  and  Posters.    With  170  Engravings 

and  Diagrams. 
Contents. — The   Formition  of  Letters,  Stops,  and    Numerals.      The    Sign- 
writer's  Outfit.    Making  Signboards  and  Laying  Ground  Colours.    The  Simpler 
Forms  of   Lettering.      Shaded  and  Fancy  Lettering.     Painting  a  Signboard. 
Ticket- Writing.     Poster-  Painting.     Lettering  with  Gold,  etc. 
Wood   Finishing;.     Comprising  Staining,  Varnishing,  and  Polishing. 

With  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 
Contents.— yxoc^%%&%  of  Finishing    Wood.      Processes  of  Staining   Wood. 
French  Polishing.     Fillers  for  Wood  and  Filling  In.     Bodying  In  and  Spiriting 
Off.  Glazing  and  Wax  Finishing.   Oil  Polishing  and  Dry  Shining.    Re-polishing 
and  Reviving.      Hard  Stopping  or  Beaumontage.     Treatment  of  Floors  Stains. 
Processes  of  Varnishing  Wood  Varnishes.     Re-polishing  Shop  Fronts. 
Dynamos  and  Electric  Motors.    With  142  Engravings  and  Diagrams 
Contents. — Introduction,    Siemens  Dynamo.  Gramme  Dj'namo.    Manchester 
Dynamo,     Simplex   Dynamo,     Calculating  the  Size  and  Amount  of  Wire  for 
Small  Dynamos.    Ailments  of  Small  Dynamo  Electric  Machines  :  their  Causes 
and   Cures.     Small  Electro-motors  without  Castings.     How  to  Determine  the 
Direction  of  Rotation  of  a  Motor.    How  to  Make  a  Shuttle-Armature  Motor. 
Undertype  50- Watt  Dynamo.     Manchester  Type  440- Watt  Dynamo. 
Cycle  Building:  and  Repairing;.    With  142  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 
Contents. — Introductory,  and  Tools  Used.     How  to  Build  a  Front  Driver. 
Building  a  Rear-driving  Safety.     Building  Tandem  Safeties.     Building  Front- 
driver  Iricycle.     Building  a  Hand  Tricycle.     Brazing.     How  to  Make  and  Fit 
(.Jear  Cases.      Fittings  and  Accessories.     Wheel   Making.     Tyres  and  Methods 
of  Fixing  them.  Enamelling.     Repairing. 
Decorative  Desig;ns  of  All  Ag;e8  f6r  All  Purposes.    With  277 

Engravings  and  Diagrams. 
Contents. — Savage  Ornament.  Egyptian  Ornament.  Assyrian  Ornament. 
Greek  Ornament.  Roman  Ornament.  Early  Christian  Ornament.  Arabic 
Ornament.  Celtic  and  Scandinavian  Ornaments.  Mediaeval  Ornament. 
Renascence  and  Modem  Ornaments.  Chinese  Ornament.  Persian  Ornament. 
Indian  Ornament.  Japanese  Ornament. 
Mounting;  and  Framing;  Pictures.    With  240  Engravings,  etc. 

Contents. — Making  Picture  Frames.     Notes  on  Art  Frames.     Picture  Frame 
Cramps.      Making   Oxford    Frames.      Gilding    Picture    Frames.     Methods   of 
Mounting  Pictures.     Making  Photograph  Frames.     Frames  covered  with  Plush 
and  Cork.     Hanging  and  Packing  Pictures. 
Smiths'  Work.     With  211  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Forges  and  Appliances.  Hand  Tools.  Drawing  Down  and  Up- 
setting. Welding  and  Punching.  Conditions  of  Work  :  Principles  of  Forma- 
tion. Bending  and  Ring  Making.  Miscellaneous  Examples  of  Forged  Work. 
Cranks,  Model  Work,  and  Die  Forging.  Home-made  Forges.  The  Manipula- 
tion of  Steel  at  the  Forge.  (Continued  on  next  page.) 

DAVID   McKAY,  Publisher,  610  South  Washington  Square,   Philadelphia. 


HANDICRAFT  SERIJSS   (continued). 

Glass  Working:  by  Heat   and   Abrasion.     With  300  Engravings 
and  Eliagrams. 

Contents. — Appliances  used  in  Glass  Blowing.  Manipulating  Glass  Tubing. 
Blowing  Bulbs  and  Flasks.  Jointing  Tubes  to  Bulbs  forming  Thistle  Funnels, 
etc.  Blowing  and  Etching  Glass  Fancy  Articles  ;  Embossing  and  Gilding  Flat 
Surfaces.  Utilising  Broken  Glass  Apparatus  ;  Boring  Holes  in,  and  Riveting 
Glass.  Hand-working  of  Telescope  Specula.  Turning,  Chipping,  and  Grinding 
Glass.  The  Manufacture  of  Glass. 
Building:  Model  Boats.     With  168  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Cf?«/^«/j.— Building  Model  Yachts.  Rigging  and  Sailing  Model  Yachts. 
Making  and  Fitting  Simple  Model  Boats.  Building  a  Model  Atlantic  Liner. 
Vertical  Engine  for  a  Model  Launch.  Model  Launch  Engine  with  Reversing 
Gear.     Making  a  Show  Case  for  a  Model  Boat. 

Electric  Bells,  How  to  Make  and  Fit  Them.    With  162  En- 
gravings and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — The  Electric  Current  and  the  Laws  that  Govern  it.  Current 
Conductors  used  in  Electric- Bell  Work.  Wiring  for  Electric  Bells.  Elaborated 
Systems  of  Wiring  ;  Burglar  Alarms.  Batteries  for  Electric  Bells.  The  Con- 
struction of  Electric  Bells,  Pushes,  and  Switches.  Indicators  for  Electric-Bell 
Systems. 
Bamboo  Work.     With  177  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Bamboo  :  Its  Sources  and  Uses.  How  to  Work  Bamboo.  Bamboo 
Tables.  Bamboo  Chairs  and  Seats.  Bamboo  Bedroom  Furniture.  Bamboo 
Hall  Racks  and  Stands.  Bamboo  Music  Racks.  Bamboo  Cabinets  and  Book- 
cases. Bamboo  Window  Blinds.  Miscellaneous  Articles  of  Bamboo.  Bamboo 
Mail  Cart. 
Taxidermy.     With  108  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

C<7«/^«/,r.— Skinning  Birds.  Staffing  and  Mounting  Birds.  Skinning  and 
Stuffing  Mammals.  Mounting  Animals'  Horned  Heads  :  Polishing  and  Mount- 
ing Horns.  Skinning,  Stuffing,  and  Casting  Fish.  Pieserving,  Cleaning,  and 
Dyeing  Skins.  Preserving  Insects,  and  Birds'  Eggs.  Cases  for  Mounting 
Specimens. 
Tailoring:.     With  180  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Tailors'  Requisites  and  Methods  of  Stitching.  Simple  Repairs 
and  Pressing.  Relining,  Repocketing,  and  Recollaring.  How  to  Cut  and 
Make  Trousers.  How  to  Cut  and  Make  Vests.  Cutting  and  Making  Lounge 
and  Reefer  Jackets.  Cutting  and  Making  Morning  and  Frock  Coats. 
Photog:raphic  Cameras  and  Accessories.  Comprising  How  to 
Make  Cameras,  Dark  Slides,  Shutters,  and  Stands.  With  160 
Illustrations. 

Contents. — Photographic  Lenses  and  How  to  Test  them.  Modern  Half-plate 
Cameras.  Hand  and  Pocket  Cameras.  Ferrotype  Cameras.  Stereoscopic 
Cameras.     Enlarging  Cameras.     Dark  Slides.     Cinematograph  Management. 

Optical  Lanterns.     Comprising  The  Construction  and  Management 
OF  Optical  Lanterns    and    the    Making  of  Slides.      With    160 
Illustrations. 
Contents. — Single  Lanterns.      Dissolving   View   Lanterns.      lUuminant  for 
Optical   Lanterns.       Optical   Lantern  Accessories.       Conducting  a  Limelight 
Lantern  Exhibition.     Experiments  with  Optical  Lanterns.     Painting  Lantern 
Slides.     Photographic  Lantern  Slides.     Mechanical  Lantern  Slides.     Cinemato- 
graph Management. 

Eng^raving:  Metals.     With  Numerous  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Introduction  and  Terms  used.  Engravers'  Tools  and  their  Uses. 
Elementary  Exercises  in  Engraving.  Engraving  Plate  and  Precious  Metals. 
Engraving  Monograms.  Transfer  Processes  of  Engraving  Metals.  Engraving 
Name  Plates.  Engraving  Coffin  Plates.  Engraving  Steel  Plates.  Chasing 
and  Embossing  Metals.     Etching  Metals. 

Basket  Work.     With  189  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Tools  and  Materials.  Simple  Baskets.  Grocer's  Square  Baskets. 
Round  Baskets.  Oval  Baskets.  Flat  Fruit  Baskets.  Wicker  Elbow  Chairs. 
Basket  Bottle-casings.  Doctors'  and  Chemists'  Baskets.  Fancy  Basket  Work. 
Sussex  Trug  Basket.     Miscellaneous  Basket  Work.     Index 

DAVID  McKAY,  Publisher,   610  South  Washington  Square,    Philadelphia. 


HANDICRAFT  SEtjIES  {continued). 

Bookbinding .     With  125  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Bookbinders'  Appliances.  Folding  Printed  Book  Sheets.  Beat- 
ing and  Sewing.  Rounding,  Backing,  and  Cover  Cutting.  Cutting  Book  Edges. 
Covering  Books.  Cloth-bound  Books,  Pamphlets,  etc.  Account  Books, 
Ledgers,  etc.  Coloring,  Sprinkling,  and  Marbling  Book  Edges.  Marbling 
Book  Papers,  Gilding  Book  Edges.  Sprinkling  and  Tree  Marbling  Book 
Covers.  Lettering,  Gilding,  and  Finishing  Book  Covers.  Index. 
Bent  Iron  \A^ork.  Including  Elementary  Art  Metal  Work.  With 
269  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Tools  and  Materials.  Bending  and  Working  Strip  Iron.  Simple 
Exercises  in  Bent  Iron.  Floral  Ornaments  for  Bent  Iron  Work.  Candlesticks. 
Hall  Lanterns.  Screens,  Grilles,  etc.  Table  Lamps.  Suspended  Lamps  and 
Flower  Bowls,  Photograph  Frames.  Newspaper  Rack.  Floor  Lamps. 
Miscellaneous  Examples.    Index. 

Photography.     With  70  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — The  Camera  and  its  Accessories,  The  Studio  and  Darkroom. 
Plates.  Exposure.  Developing  and  Fixing  Negatives.  Intensification  and 
Reduction  of  Negatives.  Portraiture  and  Picture  Composition.  Flashlight 
Photography.  Retouching  Negatives.  Processes  of  Printing  from  Negatives. 
Mounting  and  Finishing  Prints.  Copying  and  Enlarging.  Stereoscopic 
Photography.     Ferrotype  Photography.    Index. 

Upholstery.     With  162  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — -Upholsterers'  Materials.  Upholsterers'  Tools  and  Appliances. 
Webbing,  Springing,  Stuffing,  and  Tufting.  Making  Seat  Cushions  and  Squabs. 
Upholstering  an  Easy  Chair.  Upholstering  Couches  and  Sofas,  Upholstering 
Footstools,  Fenderettes,  etc.  Miscellaneous  Upholstery,  Mattress  Making 
and  Repairing.  Fancy  Upholstery.  Renovating  and  Repairing  Upholstered 
Furniture.     Planning  and  Laying  Carpets  and  Linoleum.     Index, 

Leather   Working.     With  152  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Qualities  and  Varieties  of  Leather.  Strap  Cutting  and  Making. 
Letter  Cases  and  Writing  Pads.  Hair  Brush  and  Collar  Cases,  Hat  Cases. 
Banjo  and  Mandoline  Cases.  Bags.  Portmanteaux  and  Travelling  Trunks. 
Knapsacks  and  Satchels.  Leather  Ornamentation,  Footballs.  Dyeing 
Leather.     Miscellaneous  Examples  of  Leather  Work.     Index. 

Harness    Making.     With  197  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Harness  Makers*  Tools.  Harness  Makers'  Materials.  Simple 
Exercises  in  Stitching.  Looping.  Cart  Harness.  Cart  Collars.  Cart  Saddles. 
Fore  Gear  and  Leader  Harness.  Plough  Harness.  Bits,  Spurs,  Stirrups,  and 
Harness  Furniture.     Van  and  Cab  Harness.     Index. 

Saddlery.     With  99  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Gentleman's  Riding  Saddle,  Panel  for  Gentleman's  Saddle. 
Ladies'  Side  Saddles.  Children's  Saddles  or  Pilches,  Saddle  Cruppers,  Breast- 
plates, and  other  Accessories,  Riding  Bridles,  Breaking-down  Tackle  Head 
Collars.  Horse  Clothing.  Knee-caps  and  Miscellaneous  Articles.  Repairing 
Harness  and  Saddlery.  Re-lining  Collars  and  Saddles.  Riding  and  Driving 
Whips.     Superior  Set  of  Gig  Harness.     Index. 

Knotting  and  Splicing,  Ropes  and  Cordage.    With  208 

Engravings  and  Diagrams, 
C(?«/^«/j.— Introduction,  Rope  Formation.  Simple  and  Useful  Knots. 
Eye  Knots,  Hitches  and  Bends,  Ring  Knots  and  Rope  Shortenings,  Ties 
and  Lashings.  Fancy  Knots,  Rope  Splicing.  Working  Cordage,  Ham- 
mock Making.  Lashings  and  Ties  for  Scafifolding.  Splicing  and  Socketing 
Wire  Ropes,     Index. 

Beehives  and  Beekeepers'  Appliances.    With  155  Engravings 

and  Diagrams. 
Contents. — Introduction.  A  Bar-Frame  Beehive.  Temporary  Beehive. 
Tiering  Bar-Frame  Beehive.  The  *'  W.  B.  C."  Beehive,  Furnishing  and 
Stocking  a  Beehive,  Observatory  Beehive  for  Permanent  Use.  Observatory 
Beehive  for  Temporary  Use.  Inspection  Case  for  Beehives.  Hive  for  Rear- 
ing Queen  Bees.  Super-Clearers.  Bee  Smoker.  Honey  Extractors.  Wax 
Extractors.     Beekeepers'  Miscellaneous  Appliances.     Index. 

DAVID  McKAY,  Publisher,  6io  South   Washington  Square,  Philadelphia. 


BEEHIVES    AND 
BEE    KEEPERS' 

APPLIANCES 

With  Numerous  Engravings  and  Diagrams 


EDITED    BY 

PAUL  N.   HASLUGK 

Author  of  "  Handyhooks  for  Handicrafts."  etc.  etc 


PHILADELPHIA 

DAVID     McKAY,     Publisher 

610,     SOUTH     WASHINGTON    SQUARE 
1911 


Univ.  Library,  UC  Santa  Cruz  1997 


PREFACE. 

This  Handbook  contains,  in  form  convenient  for 
everyday  use,  a  comprehensive  digest  of  the  knowledge 
of  beehives  and  bee  keepers'  appliances,  scattered  over 
more  than  twenty  thousand  columns  of  Work — one 
of  the  weekly  journals  it  is  my  fortune  to  edit — 
and  supplies  concise  information  on  the  details  of  the 
suV)jects  of  which  it  treats. 

Readers  who  may  desire  additional  information 
respecting  special  details  of  the  matters  dealt  with  in 
this  Handbook,  or  instructions  on  kindred  subjects, 
should  address  a  question  to  the  Editor  of  Work,  La 
Belle  Sauvage,  London,  E.C.,  so  that  it  may  be  answered 
in  the  columns  of  that  journal. 

P.  N.  HASLUCK. 

La  Belle  Sauvage,  London. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

L— Introduction  :  A  Bar-frame  Beehive   .        .      9 


II.— Temporary  Beehive 19 

III.— Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive  .        .        .        .25 

lY.— The  "W.B.C."  Beehive         ....    41 

V. — Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive    .        .    48 

VI. — Observatory  Beehive  for  Permanent  Use  .    68 

VII. — Observatory  Beehive  for  Temporary  Use  .    74 

VIII. — Inspection  Case  for  Beehives       .        .        .84 

IX. — Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees     .        .        .89 

X.— Super-clearers 96 

XL— Bee  Smokers 102 

XII.— Honey  Extractors 116 

XIII.— Wax  Extractors     .        .        .        .        .        .133 

XIV.— Bee  Keepers'  Miscellaneous  Appliances      .  141 
Index 158 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FIG.  PAGE 

1.— Cross    Section    of    Bar- 
frame  Beehive       .        .    12 
2.— Longitudinal  Section  of 

Bar-frame  Beehive  .  13 
3.— Floor  Board  of  Beehive  14 
4.— Brood    Chamber    Outer 

Casing       .        .        ,        .15 
5.— Slide  Piece  for  Entrance    15 
6.— Lift  over  Brood  Cham- 
ber      16 

7.— Cone     Bee     Escape     in 

Beehive    Roof         .        .    17 
8.— Lining  of  Brood  Cham- 
ber      18 

9.— Temporary  Beehive         .    19 

10.— Section  of  Temporary- 
Beehive  ...    20 

11.— Section  of  Inner  Wall  .    21 

12.    Box    Cut    to    Fit    Two 

Roofs         .        .        .        .22 

13.— Device  to  Prevent  End- 
shake  of  Frames  .        .    23 

14.— Tiering  Bar-frame  Bee- 
hive arranged  for 
Summer  Use  .       .       .27 

15.— Tiering  Bar-frame  Bee- 
hive arranged  for 
Winter  Use     ...    29 

16.— Longitudinal  Section  of 
Tiering  Bar-frame  Bee- 
hive .        .        .        .30 

17.— Cross  Section  of  Tiering 

Bar-frame  Beehive       .    31 

18.—"  Eke  "    for    Increasing 

Height  of  Lift       .       .    32 

19. — Body -box      of      Tiering 

Bar-frame  Beehive       .    33 

20.— Tongue  -  and  -  groove 

Joint         .       .       .       .34 

21.— Floor  Bearer     ...    35 

22.— Floor  Board      ...    36 

23.— Cutting     Beehive     Roof 

Gables       ....    37 

24.— Beehive  Roof  Wings      .    39 

25.— Parts  of  "  W.B.C."  Bee- 
hive .        .       .        .42 

26.— Inside  of  "  W.B.C."  Bee- 
hive .        .        .        .43 

27.— Plinth  ....    44 

28.— Section  of  Top  Edge  of 
Front  and  Back  of 
Body-box  .        .        .45 

29,  30.— Marking  Out  Legs  of 

Stand         .        .        .45,  46 

31.— Cutting     Shoulders     of 

Legs  of  Stand         .        .    46 

32,  33.— Cross      Sections      of 

Stand  Legs      ...    47 


FIG.  PAQK 

34.— B.B.K.A.  Standard 

Frame  .  .  .  .43 
35.— Broad       -       shouldertKi 

Frame       .        .        .        .49 
36.— Abbot's         Broad-shoul- 
dered Frame  .       .       .49 
37,  38.— Plain    Frames    with 

"W.B.C."  Ends  .  .  50 
39.— Wired  Bar  Frame  .  .  51 
40.— American  Jointed 

Frame  .  .  .  .52 
41.— Securing    Side    Bars    of 

Frame  to  Top  Bar  .  52 
42.— Wax     Sheet     Fixed     in 

Frame  .  .  .  .53 
43.— Frame  Wired  to  receive 

Foundation  ...  53 
44.— Block  for  Wiring  Frame  54 
45. — Gauge  Board  ...  55 
46.— Woiblet  Spur  Embedder  56 
47.— Wheel  of  Woiblet  Spur 

Embedder  .  .  .56 
48.— Spur     Embedder     with 

Wooden  Handle  .  .  57 
49.— Embedder    made     with 

Floor  Brad  ...  57 
50.— Hoffman       Self-spacing 

Frame  .  .  .  .58 
51.— "W.B.C."  Tinplate  End  59 
52.— Cast  Metal  End  .  .  59 
53.— Howard  Tinplate  End  .  60 
54.— Pine's  Cast  Metal  End  .  60 
55.— Staples     used    as    End 

Spacers  ...    61 

56.— Back  View  of  Dummy  .  62 
57.— Section  of  Dummy  .  63 
58.— Simple  Form  of  Dummy  63 
59.— Old     Style     of     Queen 

Excluder  .        .        .63 

60.— Section     with     Founda- 
tion ....    64 
61. — Section   before   Folding    64 
62.— Cross  Section  of  Crate  .    65 
63.— Longitudinal  Section  of 

Crate  ....  65 
64.— Section  of  Metal  Bar  .  65 
65.— Section  Divider  .  .  66 
66.— Vertical  Section 

through      Observatory 
Beehive  ...    69 

67.— Half  Cross  Section  and 
Half  Back  Elevation 
of  Observatory  Bee- 
hive ....  70 
S8.— Front  Elevation  of  Ob- 
servatory Beehive  -  .  71 
39.— Observatory  Beeliive  for 

Temporary  Use      .       .    75 


8    Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 


FIG.  PAGE 

70.— Vertical  Cross  Section 
of  Observatory  Bee- 
hive       ....    76 

-Horizontal  Section  of 
Observatory  Beehive     77 

-Sectional  Plan  of  Ob- 
servatory Beehive  Top    77 

-Inside  Frame  of  Obser- 
vatory Beehive  .       .    79 

75.— Mounting  Observa- 
tory Beehive  .       .    81,  82 

-Inspection  Case  for 
Beehives       ...    84 

-Section  of  Inspection 
Case        .       .       .       .85 

-End  Elevation  of  In- 
spection Case      .       .    85 

-Arrangement  of  Case  to 
Fit  Two  Lengths  of 
Beehives        .       .       .86 

-Securing  End  Openings 
of  Inspection  Case     .    87 

—Cross  Section  of  In- 
spection Case      .       .    87 

—Handle  for  Lifting 
Frames  .       .       .       .88 

—Hive  for  Rearing 
Queen  Bees  ...    90 

—Plan  of  Body-box  .       .    91 

—Section  of  Hive  for 
Rearing   Queen   Bees    91 


71.- 
72.- 
73.- 
74. 
76. 
77. 
78. 
79. 

80. 

81. 

82. 

83. 

84. 
85. 

86. 
87. 
88 
89 

90. 
91.- 

92. 

93. 

94, 

96. 
97 


■Modified  Body-box  .  92 
—Division  Board  .  .  92 
—Distance  Rack  .  .  93 
—Foot  of  Hive  for  Rear- 
ing Queen  Bees  .  .  94 
■Porter  Bee  Escape  .  97 
—Super-clearer  Com- 

plete       ....    98 
,— Section        of        Super- 
clearer     .       .       .       .99 
—Clearer  in  Use  between 
Hive  and  Super  .       .  100 
95.— Bingham  Bee 

Smoker  .        .  103,  104 

—Pattern  of  Funnel  .  105 
.—Smoker  Diaphragm  .  106 
.—Coned  Blast  Pipe  .  107 

99.— Nicked  Tube  for  Mak- 
ing Blast  Pipe      .       .  107 
100.— Spring        .        .        .        .109 
101.— Wire        for        Making 

•     Spring     .       .       .       .109 
102.— Bottom         Board         of 

Bellows  .       .       .110 

103.— Clarke  Smoker  .  .  Ill 
104.— Section        of        Clarke 

Smoker  .       .       .111 

105.— Pattern  of  Funnel  .  113 
106.— Bottom  of  Funnel  .  .114 
107.— Diaphragm    of     Clarke 

Smoker  .        .        .214 

108.— Little    Wonder    Honey 

Extractor       .       .       .117 


FIG.  PAGE 

109.— Section  of  Little  Won- 
der  Extractor  .  118 
110. — Section    of    Can     and 

Cage  .  .  .  .118 
111,  112.— Little  Wonder  Can 

and  Cage  .  .  .119 
113.— Pattern    for    Top    and 

Bottom  of  Extractor  .  120 
114.— Corner      of     Cage      of 
Little      Wonder      Ex- 
tractor  .       .       .121 

115,  116.— Cylinder        Honey 

Extractor  .  .  .122 
117.— Frames,  Baskets,  etc.  .  123 
118.— Wired  Tinplate  .  .  123 
119.— Rectangular  Band  and 

Bridge  .        .        .124 

120.— Pattern  of  Slide  .  .  125 
121.— Bands,       Slides,       and 

Bridges  of  Extractor  .  127 
122.— Half  of  Comb  Basket  .  128 
123.— Section  through  Comb 

Basket  .        .        .129 

124.— Bolt  for  Cross-bar  .  132 
125.— Solar  Wax  Extractor  .  134 
126.— Glazing    Top    of    Solar 

Wax  Extractor      .        .  135 
127.— Foot  of   Solar    Extrac- 
tor  Stand      .       .       .135 
128.— Revolving  Top  of  Wax 

Extractor  .  .  .136 
129.— Washer  and  Screw.  .  136 
130.— Section  of  Gerster  Wax 

Extractor  .  .  .137 
131.— Pattern  for  Cylindrical 

Top  of  Boiler  .  .  139 
132— 134.— Float  Bee  Feeder.  ]41 
135.— Raynor  Bee  Feeder  .  142 
136,  137.— Base        for        Bee 

Feeder  .  .  .  142,  143 
138.— Bee        Feeder        with 

Square  Base  .  .  .143 
139.— Hone  Dummy  Feeder  .  144 
140.— Rapid  Bee  Feeder  .  145 
141.— Section   of   Rapid   Bee 

Feeder  .  .  .  .147 
142.— Bennett  Self-hiver  .  148 
143.— Alley's  Self-hiver  .  .  149 
144.— Front  View   of   Swarm 

Catcher  .       .       .150 

145.— Section       of        Swarm 

Catcher  .       .       .151 

146.— Hive     Entrance     with 

Flexible  Springs  .  151 
147.  148.— Queen  Cages  .  152,  153 
149.— Spring   for  Queen   Bee 

Cage  .  .  .  .153 
150,  151.— Driving  Irons  .  .  154 
152.— Bingham  Knife  .  .  155 
153.— Comb  Cutter  .  .  .155 
154.— Cheshire     Transferring 

Board  ....  156 
155. — Cutting   Tongues    from 

Board      .       .       .       .157 


BEEHIVES  AND 
BEE  KEEPERS'  APPLIANCES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

introduction:   a  bar-frame  beehive. 

Bee  keeping  has  long  been  a  science,  and  it  took 
its  greatest  step  towards  that  position  when  the 
bar-framed  hive  superseded  the  primitive  straw 
skep.  The  bee  keeper  can  now  regulate  the  affairs 
of  the  bees'  household,  arrange  their  marriages,  the 
strength  of  their  forces,  the  proportion  of  males  to 
females,  and  their  comfort  in  summer  and  in  winter. 
He  partakes  of  the  fruits  of  their  labour,  and  causes 
them  to  obtain  far  more  honey  than  their  natural 
instinct  would  prompt.  All  these  powers,  and 
several  others,  date  from  the  invention  and  per- 
fection of  the  bar-framed  hive.  Before  that  time, 
from  ten  to  twenty  pounds  of  honey  were  consumed 
by  the  bees  in  manufacturing  one  pound  of  wax, 
and  as  honey  and  wax  were  about  the  same  price 
then,  it  was  evidently  a  loss  of  about  two  thousand 
per  cent,  to  the  bee  keeper.  The  idea  struck  some- 
body that  if  he  gave  the  bees  a  lump  of  wax,  they 
might  be  induced  to  utilise  that  and  save  the  honey, 
but  they  would  not  touch  it.  Then  he  thought  of 
reducing  the  wax  to  thin  sheets,  but  the  bees  would 
not  touch  it  even  in  that  condition.  The  next  step 
was  to  impress  the  foundation  of  the  cells  upon  the 
sheet  of  wax,  and  the  bees  were  found  to  take 
kindly  to  it  in  this  condition,  to  draw  it  out  mto 
perfect  combs  for  brood  and  honey.  The  modern 
bee  keeper,  therefore,  supplies  his  bees  with  sheets 


lo   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

of  comb  foundation,  which  can  be  purchased  at  a 
cheap  rate,  and  will  save  at  least  ten  times  its 
cost. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  the  movable-frame 
hive  is  the  facility  with  which  comb  foundation  can 
be  fixed  in  it,  but  it  is  only  a  minor  advantage,  for 
with  a  little  management  foundation  can  be  fixed 
in  almost  any  hive.  The  principal  advantage  is  the 
ease  with  which  all  the  combs  and  the  health  and 
condition  of  the  inmates  can  be  examined.  For 
example,  it  is  sometimes  found  that  the  queen  is 
lost,  and  if  there  are  no  eggs  or  very  young  larvae 
w^ith  which  to  make  a  new  queen,  the  fate  of  the 
colony  is  doomed  except  a  new  queen  is  provided, 
and  the  bee  keeper  could  scarcely  ascertain  the 
loss  of  the  queen  were  he  to  use  the  ordinary  skep 
hives.  Again,  towards  winter  some  colonies  have 
more  than  enough  stores,  while  others,  if  left  to 
themselves,  would  die  of  starvation  before  the 
spring  came ;  the  bee  keeper,  ascertaining  this, 
gives  to  the  weak  ones  some  of  the  superfluous 
stores  of  the  others.  This  shows  not  alone  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  movable-frame  hive,  but  the 
necessity  of  having  all  the  frames  in  an  apiary 
interchangeable,  and  made  to  a  standard  size. 

The  question  is  often  asked  by  a  novice  in  bee 
culture,  "What  is  the  size  of  a  standard  hive?'' 
Whilst  there  is  no  absolutely  fixed  standard  in  this 
country,  the  British  Bee  Keepers'  Association  re- 
commend a  standard  frame,  which  has  been 
adopted  generally  throughout  the  British  Isles ;  its 
dimensions  are  14  in.  long  by  8^  in.  deep,  the  top 
bar  being  17  in.  long,  thus  forming  a  lug  at  each 
end  for  convenience  of  handling  the  frames  when 
filled  with  comb. 

The  British  Bee  Keepers'  Association  have  also 
determined  the  thickness  of  material  of  which  the 
frames  are  to  be  made— the  top  bar  |  in.  thick, 
the  sides  J  in.  thick,  and  the  bottom  bar  J  in.  thick, 
all  being  \  in.  wide  ;  and  as  frames  of  these  dimen- 


Introduction  :  Bar-frame  Beehive,        ii 

sions  are  stocked  by  all  bee-appliance  dealers,  there 
is  some  advantage  gained  by  sticking  closely  to 
standard  measurements.  But  a  thickness  of  only 
I  in.  for  the  top  bar  makes  a  frame  weak  and  likely, 
when  the  comb  is  filled  with  honey  and  brood,  to 
sag  considerably,  and  when  surplus  receptacles  are 
placed  over  sagging  frames  a  void  is  left  which  the 
bees  are  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  to  fill  with 
either  brace  comb  or  propolis,  both  very  undesir- 
able substances  in  the  position  named.  Some 
apiarists  have  adopted  a  top  bar  \  in.  thick,  the 
extra  \  in.  of  thickness  adding  considerably  to  its 
stability ;  but  the  plan  has  this  disadvantage,  that 
the  frames  are  not  strictly  standard,  although 
standard  outside  measurements  are  adhered  to. 

A  "  bee- space  ^'  is,  approximately,  y\  in.,  that  is 
to  say,  a  bee  can  pass  between  two  boards  spaced 
y\  in.  apart.  If  a  space  is  less  than  this,  the  bees 
will  fill  it  with  propolis  or  bee-glue,  a  sticky  resin- 
ous substance  exuded  by  and  gathered  from  the 
buds  of  trees;  if  more  than  |  in.,  the  space  will 
have  comb  built  in  it.  It  is  customary,  therefore, 
to  allow  a  free  bee-space  of  \  in.  round  the  ends 
of  the  frames,  and  a  space  of  |  in.  below  them.  It 
will  be  evident  from  this  that  any  hive  must  be 
at  least  14j  in.  long  and  8j  in.  deep,  and  provision 
must  be  made  for  the  overhanging  top  bar. 

As  bees  build  their  combs  about  li  in.  from 
centre  to  centre,  it  follows  that  the  width  of  the 
hive  will  depend  upon  how  many  frames  it  is  de- 
cided the  hive  shall  accommodate,  and  this  point 
is  determined  by  the  style  of  hive  adopted. 

Hives  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two  distinct 
classes — long  (or  '^  combination ")  and  tiering. 
The  former  is  associated  with  the  name  of  Charles 
Nash  Abbot,  who  may  be  considered  the  father  of 
British  bee  keeping,  and  is  a  hive  warmly  ad- 
vocated by  some.  In  it  the  frames  hang  parallel 
with  the  entrance,  ,the  number  provided  for  being 
generally  fifteen.     In  the  tiering  hive,   the  style 


12   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

most  generally  used,  provision  is  made  for  ten 
frames  only,  this  being  the  number  to  which  it  is 
usually  considered  expedient  to  limit  the  queen, 
and  the  frames  are  usually  arranged  so  that  they 
hang  at  a  right  angle  to  the  entrance. 


Fi"-.  1.— Cross  Section  of  Bar- frame  Beehive. 


The  portion  of  a  hive  allotted  to  the  use  of  the 
queen  is  spoken  of  as  the  ^^  brood  nest  '^  ;  the  por- 
tions devoted  to  deprivation  purposes  are  termed 
surplus  chambers  or  ''supers.'^ 

The  beehive  shown  in  section  by  Figs.  1  and  2 
is  of  about  the  best  type,  as  the  air  space  round  the 
brood  chamber  keeps  the  bees  dry  and  warm  in 


Introduction  :  Bar-frame  Beehive.       13 

winter,  and  cool  in  summer.  It  may  be  worked 
either  for  extracted  honey  in  shallow  frames,  or 
with  two  or  three  crates  of  sections  over  the  brood 
nest. 

Deal  or  pine  (see  p.  25)  is  used  for  the  whole  hive, 


Fig'.  2. — Longitudinal  Section  of  Bar-frame  Beehive. 

and  the  floor  board  and  stand  (Fig.  3)  requires  two 
side  pieces  A  (Figs.  1,  2,  and  3),  each  2  ft.  1  in.  long 
by  24  in.  by  1  in.  ;  one  back  cross  piece  B  (Fig.  2), 
1  ft.  7  in.  by  2^  in.  by  1  in.  ;  and  a  front  cross  piece 
c,  1  ft.  7  in.  by  2j  in.  by  1  in.  Working  from  the 
back,  the  pieces  are  left  the  full  width  for  1  ft.  2  in., 
f.hen  reduced  to  2j  in.  for  5i  in.,  and  at  the  front 


14   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

sloped  down  to  }  in.  for  the  alighting  board  D  (Figs. 
2  and  3).  The  cross  pieces  are  tenoned  through  the 
sides,  and  the  back  part  of  the  floor  E,  which  should 
be  1  ft.  7  in.  long  by  1  ft.  2  in.  wide  by  |  in.  thick, 
is  nailed  on. 

The  front  part  f,  5i  in.  wide  and  |  in.  below 
the  level  of  e  to  form  the  entrance,  can  next  be 
fixed,  and  then  the  alighting  board  d,  which  is  7  in. 
wide  by  f  in.  thick,  is  secured  and  planed  off  level 
with  the  front  of  the  floor  at  the  joint.  Two  pieces 
G  (Fig.  3),  5  in.  long  by  2j  in.  by  |  in.,  are  prepared 
and  nailed  on  to  form  the  sides  of  the  entrance,  and 
four  legs,  2  in.  square  and  6  in.  long,  are  cut  to  the 


Fig.  3.— Floor  Board  of  Beehive. 

shape  shown  in  Figs.  1  and  3,  and  screwed  to  the 
sides. 

The  outer  casing  of  the  brood  chamber  is  shown 
by  Fig.  4,  sections  of  it  being  given  by  Figs.  1  and 
2.  This  is  made  of  9-in.  stuff  f  in.  thick,  the  front 
and  back  pieces  being  1  ft.  5|  in.  long,  and  the 
sides  1  ft.  10  in.  long,  3  in.  of  which  projects  in 
front  and  is  cut  to  the  shape  shown  at  h  (Figs.  2 
and  4),  to  carry  the  porch.  Notches  J,  \  in.  by 
\  in.  wide,  are  for  the  slides  which  regulate  the 
size  of  the  entrance. 

The  box  can  now  be  nailed  together,  but,  of 
course,  a  better  job  results  from  dovetailing  or 
even  lapping  the  joints.  A  2i-in.  by  4-in.  plinth  k 
(Figs.  1,  2,  and  4)  should  project  1  in.  below  the 


Introduction  :  Bar-frame  Beehive, 


IS 


bottom  of  the  box,  and  is  nailed  to  the  sides  and 
back  to  prevent  wet  penetrating ;  it  should  be 
bedded  in  thick  white-lead  paint,  and  it  is  advis- 


Fig".  4. — Brood  Chamber  Outer  Casing'. 

able  to  give  all  joints  a  coating  of  the  same  material 
before  putting  them  together. 

The  porch  l  (Figs.  2  and  4)  is  about  3i  in.  wide 
by  \  in.  thick,  and  can  be  nailed  on,  the  slide  piece 
J  at  the  front  being  also  secured.  If  the  necessary 
tools  for  rebating  this  piece  are  not  available,  it 
may  be  made  up  with  two  pieces,  as  shown  in 
detail  by  Fig.  5.  Some  bee  keepers  object  to  a 
porch   sloping  towards    the    alighting    board,    as 


m: 


m 


Fig.  5.— Slide  Piece  for  Entrance. 

shown  in  Figs.  2  and  4,  as  the  water  drains  on  to 
the  board,  but  to  prevent  this  a  small  strip  M  (Fig. 
2)  may  be  nailed  on  the  full  length,  or  a  groove  may 
be  cut  for  the  same  purpose. 


1 6   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

For  the  lift  (Fig.  6)  over  the  brood  chamber, 
two  pieces  of  pine,  1  ft.  6  in.  long  by  6  in.  by  \  in., 
and  two  pieces,  1  ft.  7  in.  by  6  in.  by  \  in.,  must  be 
prepared.  These  are  nailed  together  to  form  a 
bottomless  box,  as  shown  at  z  (Figs.  1  and  2).  The 
sides  of  the  lift  should  be  made  to  taper  slightly, 
so  that  the  measurements  across  the  top  will  be 
1  ft.  7  in.  bare  both  ways  and  1  ft.  7^in.  across 
the  bottom.  This  will  allow  the  Jift  to  fit  easily 
over  the  brood  chamber,  and  the  roof  to  fit  easily 
on  to  the  lift.    A  plinth  n  (Figs.  1,  2,  and  6),  of  2-in. 


Fig.  6. — Lift  over  Brood  Chamber. 

by  \-m.  stuff,  is  nailed  round  the  bottom  edge  of 
the  lift,  to  cover  the  joint. 

Each  hive  should  have  two  of  these  lifts,  to 
enable  an  extra  lot  of  sections  or  shallow  frames 
to  be  put  on,  to  prevent  swarming  when  honey  is 
very  plentiful. 

The  roof  o  (Figs.  1  and  2)  requires  two  pieces 
of  J-in.  stuff,  1  ft.  7  in.  long  by  9  in.  wide  in  the 
centre,  tapered  down  to  6  in.  at  both  ends,  and 
two  pieces,  1  ft.  8  in.  long  by  6  in.  by  \  in.,  for 
the  sides.  These  are  nailed  together  and  planed 
level  at  the  top,  then  covered  with  two  boards  each 
1  ft.  10  in.  long  by  1  ft.  by  \  in.  Over  these  a 
covering  of  sheet  zinc  should  be  placed  to  keep  the 


Introduction  :  Bar-frame  Beehive.       17 

top  weatherproof.  To  prevent  the  roof  dropping 
too  far  over  the  lift,  a  couple  of  \-m.  by  J-in.  strips 
p  (Fig.  1)  are  nailed  inside  at  the  sides,  or  if  a  good 
job  has  not  been  made  of  the  fitting,  the  strips 
should  be  fixed  all  round  to  keep  out  robber  bees. 

For  ventilation,  a  hole  is  bored  near  the  top  of 
the  roof  as  shown  at  R  (Fig.  2),  and  this  should  be 
fitted  with  cone  bee  escapes  (Fig.  7),  to  allow  any 
bees  that  happen  to  get  over  the  quilt  to  find  their 
way  out.  (Fig.  7  shows  a  bee  escape  fitted  to 
another  shape  of  hive.) 

The  inner  lining  of  the  brood  chamber  is  shown 
by  Fig.  8.     For  this  will  be  required  two  pieces  S 


Fig.  7. — Cone  Bee  Escape  in  Beehive  Roof. 


(Figs.  2  and  8)  1  ft.  3  in.  long  by  8^  in.  by  \  in.,  and 
two  T,  1  ft.  5  in.  by  8^  in.  by  \  in.  These  are  nailed 
together  to  leave  a  space  of  1  ft.  2^  in.  between  the 
narrow  pieces,  and  then  two  strips  u  are  prepared, 
1  ft.  3  in.  by  |  in.  by  \  in.,  and  nailed  on,  part  of 
Fig.  8  being  broken  away  to  show  the  arrangement 
of  this  more  clearly.  To  complete  the  lining,  two 
strips  V,  1  ft.  4  in.  by  \\  in.  by  \  in.,  are  nailed  on. 

The  regulating  slides  for  the  entrance  consist 
of  two  strips  9  in.  by  1  in.  by  \  in.,  and  J  (Fig.  2) 
shows  one  of  these  in  position. 

To  prevent  the  bees  getting  up  between  the 
lining  of  the  brood  chamber  and  the  casing,  a  loose 

B 


1 8  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

piece  w  (Fig.  2),  1  ft.  4  in.  long  by  Ij  in.  wide,  is 

dropped  in  to  cover  the  sinking  in  the  floor  board. 

The  necessary  internal  fittings  for  this  hive  are 


Fig.  8. — Lining  of  Brood  Chamber. 

described  fully  in  Chapter  Y.  (pp.  48  to  67).  They 
include  bar  frames,  comb  foundation,  queen  bee 
excluder  zinc,  etc. 


19 


CHAPTER  II. 

TEMPORARY   BEEHIVE. 

Whether  the  apiary  be  large  or  small,  an  appliance 
which  is  always  in  request  is  a  makeshift  hive — any- 
thing  which,   whilst  not  good  enough  to   form   a 


Fig.  9. — Temporary  Beehive. 

permanent  home  for  bees,  will  serve  as  a  temporary 
lodgment  for  them  until  they  can  be  properly 
housed.  Fig.  9  is  an  isometric  view  of  a  hive  for 
such   a  purpose,   and   shows  an   alternative    form 


20   Beehives  and  Bee  Keeper^  Appliances. 


of  porch  to  that  illustrated  in  the  sectional  view 
(Fig.  10). 

It  is  not  advisable  to  waste  good  material  on 
an  article  of  merely  temporary  use.  Empty  pack- 
ing boxes  can  generally  be  obtained  from  grocers 
for  a  few  pence  each.  A  couple  of  Orlando  Jones' 
starch  boxes  with  lids  provide  sufficient  material  to 
complete  one  hive.  These  boxes  measure,  inside, 
17  in.  long,  13|  in.  wide,  and  9^  in.  deep,  and  with 
but  a  slight   expenditure  of  labour  and   material 


Fig.  10.— Section  of  Temporary  BeeMve. 

make  capital  makeshift  or  "  nucleus  ''  hives,  holding 
eight  frames,  or  ten  at  close  spacing. 

Select  the  better  of  the  two  boxes,  and,  choos- 
ing the  best  end  for  the  front,  turn  it  upside  down, 
and  mark  a  line  on  the  bottom  parallel  with  and  dis- 
tant from  the  front  2j  in.,  and  two  others  at  right 
angles  therewith  3j  in.  from  each  side.  Bore  a 
centre-bib  hole  and,  with  a  pad-saw,  remove  the 
parallelogram  enclosed  by  the  lines  drawn.  Now 
take  a  piece  of  the  lid,  about  4^  in.  wide  and  as  long 
as  the  width  of  the  box,  and  nail  it  across  so  as  to 


Temporary  Beehive, 


21 


cover  the  portion  of  the  bottom  cut  away  and  to 
project  in  front  some  2  in.  or  so,  to  form  an  alight- 
ing board  (see  A,  Figs.  9  and  10).  Nail  another 
narrow  strip  B  across  the  back  end  of  the  box  so 
that  it  may  stand  level,  and  if  the  joint  of  the 
bottom  is  open,  cover  it  also  with  a  similar  strip. 
Stand  the  box  on  its  bottom,  and  it  will  now  be 
seen,  as  shown  by  Fig.  9,  that  there  is  an  opening 
formed,  about  7  in.  wide  and  |  in.  high,  by  which 
the  bees  can  enter  the  hive. 

Knock  the  second  box  carefully  apart,  avoiding 
splitting  the  boards,  and  reduce  the  two  ends  to 
8i  in.  in  height.  Cut  them  to  8f  in.  and  finish  off  to 


Fig.  11.— Section  of  Inner  Wall. 


8i  in.  with  the  plane  ;  then  bevel  one  edge  of  each 
as  shown  by  Fig.  11,  leaving  a  flat  about  \  in.  wide 
on  the  edge.  After  having  drawn  lines  on  the  in- 
sides  of  the  hive  sides,  parallel  to  and  distant  from 
the  front  and  back  \\  in.,  insert  the  reduced  end 
pieces  and  carefully  nail  them  so  that  they  rest 
close  upon  the  hive  bottom,  and  their  inside  faces 
coincide  with  the  lines  drawn. 

These  inner  walls  (e.  Fig.  10)  should  then  be 
found  14|-  in.  distant  one  from  the  other,  and  if  a 
standard  frame  is  inserted  it  should  fit  without  any 
end-shake,  and  there  should  be  a  parallel  space  of 
\  in.  between  the  side  bars  of  the  frame  and  the 
inner  walls  of  the  hive,  also  a  clear  space  of  |  in. 


2  2   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 


below  the  frame,  as  indicated  by  the  section  of  the 
hive  (Fig.  10). 

The  bees  could  now  pass  in  at  the  entrance  and 
up  between  the  inner  and  outer  walls.  To  prevent 
this,  three  strips  of  wood,  |  in.  wide  and  13|  in.  long 
(the  pieces  cut  off  the  inner  walls  will  provide 
these),  are  prepared  to  fit  tightly  in  the  vacant 
space ;  one  of  these  strips  (c,  Fig.  10)  is  pushed 
down  at  the  front  until  it  rests  on  the  floor  of 
the  hive  and  closes  up  the  open  space  over  the  en- 
trance ;  the  remaining  two  d  d  are  fixed  about  \  in. 
below  the  top  edges  of  the  inner  walls  e  e  ;  this 
prevents  bees  getting  down  whilst  the  hives  are 
being  manipulated,  and  allows  space  enough  for 
the  fingers  to  grip  the  frame  ends. 


Fig.  12.— Box  Cut  to  Fit  Two  Koofs. 

IE  a  roof  is  required — it  is  desirable  to  provide 
one — a  half-depth  starch  box  may  also  be  obtained, 
and  cut  so  that  the  sides  slant  from  front  to  back, 
giving  a  fall  of  about  half  the  depth  of  the  box — say 
2^  in.,  or  thereabouts  (Fig.  12  shows  how  a  box 
may  be  cut  to  make  two  roofs).  Nail  some  of  the 
surplus  wood  across  the  top,  giving  a  projection  of 
about  1  in.  on  all  sides,  and,  after  nailing  a 
strengthening  piece  H  inside  from  front  to  back, 
cover  the  boarding  with  canvas,  calico,  felt,  lino- 
leum, sheet  zinc,  or  something  that,  with  paint  or 
other  substance,  can  be  made  impervious  to  wet. 
Even  a  sheet  of  stout  brown  paper  will  suffice 
\l  both  it  and  the  woodwork  are  previously  well 
coated  with  thick  paint,  and  the  paper  is  after- 
wards given  two  or  more  coats  of  paint. 

In  order  to   keep  the  roof  in  position   on   the 


Temporary  Beehive. 


23 


hive,  plinths  J  must  be  prepared,  from  ij  in.  to 
2  in.  wide,  and  nailed  to  the  roof,  projecting  below 
its  bottom  edges  about  |  in.  If  a  porch  is  wanted, 
cut  out  two  pieces  of  wood  about  6  in.  long  and 
slightly  less  in  width  than  the  projection  of  the 
alighting  board,  slope  the  top  ends,  and  secure 
them  by  nailing  through  the  hive  front  (do  this  be- 
fore the  inner  walls  are  put  in)  and  up  through  the 
alighting  board.  A  cover  board  2\  in.  wide  is  to 
be  fixed  to  the  top  (sloped)  ends  to  throw  water  off, 
and  in  order  that  it  m^ay  fit  close  to  the  hive  front 
the  back  edge  should  be  bevelled  off. 

Swarms,  also  nuclei,  sometimes  require  feeding, 
so  that  it  is  as  well  to  make  provision  for  a  feed 


Fig.  13. — Device  to  Prevent  End-shake  to  the  Frames. 

bottle  K,  as  shown  in  position  in  Fig.  10,  by  making 
the  roof  deeper.  In  this  case  another  full-depth 
starch  box  might  be  cut  across  as  shown  by  Fig.  12, 
when  it  would  furnish  two  deep  roofs.  A  coat  or 
two  of  paint  will  make  the  hive  more  sightly  and 
more  durable  ;  it  will  also  keep  it  drier,  which  is  a 
point  of  great  importance  in  a  permanent  hive, 
though  not  so  serious  in  one  of  a  makeshift  charac- 
ter. 

It  may  be  stated  that  on  more  than  one  occasion 
bees  have  had  to  winter  in  hives  similar  to  the  one 
illustrated  in  this  chapter,  and  they  have  made 
good  headway,  though  they  are  liable  to  be  severely 
checked  when  breeding  is  in  full  swing  and  adverse 
weather  occurs  in  April  and  May.  These  hives, 
therefore,  cannot  be  recommended  for  use  as  per- 


^4   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

manent  quarters  for  bees.  Bees  wintered  in  them 
also  make  much  greater  inroads  upon  their  stores 
than  when  housed  in  proper  hives. 

Although  the  particular  boxes  previously  men- 
tioned are  recommended,  they  being  of  the  correct 
size  without  alteration,  any  other  box  that  is  at 
least  17  in.  long  and  not  less  than  9  in.  in  depth 
will  serve.  If  a  box  is  used  that  allows  more  than 
a  very  little  end-shake  to  the  frames — a  defect 
which  could  not  be  tolerated — nail  a  thin  strip  of 
wood  L  on  to  the  inside  of  each  outer  wall  as 
shown  by  Fig.  13 ;  or  all  the  filling-up  might,  to 
save  trouble,  be  placed  at  one  end  when  the  extra 
length  is  but  slight.  D  E  in  Fig.  13  agree  with  d  e 
in  Fig.  10. 

No  entrance  slides  are  here  provided ;  when  a 
contraction  of  the  entrance  is  required,  a  strip,  or 
strips,  of  wood  laid  on  the  alighting  board  will 
answer  every  purpose. 


^s 


CHAPTER  III 

TIERING  BAR-FRAME   BEEHIVE. 

Tiering  hives  are  used  to  afford  additional  accom- 
modation for  brood-raising  or  honey-storing  pur- 
poses in  cases  where  the  brood  nest  or  hive  proper 
is  inadequate.  They  are  made  by  adding  extra 
bodies  above  the  brood  nest. 

Beehives  are  usually  made  of  yellow  pine,  merely 
because  pine  happens  to  be  plentiful  in  America, 
and  is  there  used  for  all  common  purposes  as  is 
deal  in  this  country ;  consequently  pine  is  used, 
not  because  it  is  the  best  w^ood  for  hives,  but  be- 
cause it  happens  to  be  cheap.  America  is  the  land 
of  bees,  honey,  and  bee  keepers,  and  in  that  coun- 
try there  are  numerous  factories  exclusively  em- 
ployed, year  in,  year  out,  in  making  beehives  and 
apiarian  supplies ;  and  nearly  all  the  beehives 
made  in  England  aie  imported  from  America  in  the 
flat — that  is,  the  material  is  planed  and  sawn  to 
size  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  arrives 
here  ready  to  be  put  together  at  a  cost  very  little 
(if  any)  above  the  price  at  which  rough-sawn  board 
of  similar  material  can  be  purchased  in  England. 

As  American  winters  are  so  severe,  it  is  the 
custom  above  a  certain  degree  of  latitude  to  place 
the  bees  in  cellars  during  the  cold  season — say, 
from  November  to  March  or  April — so  that  hives 
are  seldom  exposed  to  much  severe  weather,  so 
seldom,  in  fact,  that  hive  bodies  are  usually  left 
unpainted.  Whilst  pine  may  be  employed  for  the 
inside  parts  of  English  hives,  good  yellow  deal 
is  far  preferable  for  all  exposed  portions  of  a  bee- 
hive, and  is  considerably  cheaper  to  buy  than  is 
first  or  even  second  quality  yellow  pine.    Even  good 


26    Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances. 

quality  spruce  will  be  preferable  to  pine,  but  it  is 
somewhat  liable  to  twist  as  it  seasons,  and  is  to 
that  extent  an  undesirable  material. 

Below   is   a  list  of   material  required  for    the 


List 

OF  Material 

Eequired  for  One  Hive. 

5-  ^ 

Net  Size  in  Inches. 

Description. 

rO 

CO 

Length. 

Width. 

Thick' 
ness. 

Body  Box. 

2 

in 

11 

^ 

Sides 

2 

A 

2 

17 

8| 

h 

Inner  walls 

1 

B 

1 

18^: 

lOJ 

1 

Front 

1 

0 

1 

I85 

11 

t 

Back 

1 

J) 

2 

17 

li 

i 

Packing 

2 

E 

3 

17 

J 

4 

Filling 

2 

F 

Floor-hoard. 

2 

20i 

2 

1 

Bearers 

1 

11 

1 

17 

15 

i 

Main  floor 

1 

J 

1 

17 

4 

1 

Floor  under  entrance 

1 

K 

1 

17 

3 

3 

Alighting-  board 

1 

L 

2 

2f 

2i 

i 

Packing  blocks 

2 

M 

Lift. 

2 

ISf 

11 

4 

Sides 

2 

isr 

2 

19| 

11 

Ends 

2 

p 

2 

m 

h 

t^ 

Fillets 

2 

R 

2 

17f 

\ 

f) 

KooA 

2 

20^ 

4| 

1. 

Gables 

2 

S 

2 

19i 

2 

i 

Sides 

2 

T 

2 

23i 

11 

J 

Wings 

2 

V 

1 

23i 

4i 

i 

Ridge  cover 

2 

W 

2 
2 

19i 
ISf 

1 
"2 

II 

Fillets 

2 

R 

Porch. 

1 

18i 

4 

f 

Back 

1 

PA 

2 

4 

2J 

Brackets 

2 

PB 

1 

18,1 

1 

^ 

Distance  fillet 

1 

PC 

1 

isl 

3 

h 

Slope 

2 

PD 

2 

7 

li 

8 

Entrance  slides 

2 

PF 

Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive, 


27 


making  of  one  tiering  bar-frame  hive,  although  it 
will  be  found  very  advantageous  to  make  up  at 
least  three  at  the  same  time,  as  each  hive  is  then 
more  likely  to  be  exactly  like  its  fellow,  and  all 
parts  will  interchange — a  point  of  no  little  import- 
ance when  working  a  number  of  hives.     Material 


Fig.  14. — Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive  arranged  for 
Summer  Use. 

for  shallow-frame  boxes  or  section  racks  is  not 
included  herewith,  as  the  making  of  these  and  the 
hive  furniture  will  form  the  subject  of  another 
chapter. 

The  quantities  of  sawn  boards  to  order  are :  3  ft. 
of  11  in.  by  -|  in.  (|-in.  wrought  board  will  do  if 
sound  and  not  too  knotty),  17  ft.  of  11  in.  by  4  in., 
10  ft.  of  11  in.  by  |  in.,  and  4  ft.  of  2  in.  by  1  in. 


28  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

slating  batten.  These  sizes  allow  for  slight  waste 
in  trimming,  but  nothing  for  waste  caused  by 
shakes  or  large  knots.  It  will  be  presumed  that 
all  the  material  is  cut  to  size  and  ^aned  as  in- 
dicated by  the  table,  and  edges  and  ends  squared 
and  shot  true. 

An  isometric  view  of  the  hive  arranged  for 
summer  use  is  shown  by  Fig.  14 ;  it  consists  of 
floor-board  r  b,  hive-body  or  brood-nest  b  n,  in- 
vertible  lift  i  l,  roof  R  r,  and  detachable  porch  d  p. 
Fig.  15  is  an  isometric  view  of  the  same  hive 
arranged  for  winter  with  the  lift  inverted,  thus 
forming  what  is  practically  a  triple-walled  hive. 
This  illustration  also  shows  the  hive  mounted  upon 
a  rough  stand  which  is  a  condensed  milk  box,  in 
size  19  in.  by  13  in.  by  7  in.  deep,  outside  measure- 
ments. These  boxes  are  strong,  and  answer  the 
purpose  capitally ;  and  if  given  a  coat  of  hot  tar 
before  being  put  into  use,  they  will  last  for  years. 

The  projection  in  front  of  the  hive  is  a  rough 
alighting  board,  the  use  of  which  is  to  keep  the 
space  immediately  in  front  of  the  hive  clear,  and 
to  prevent  tired  home-coming  bees  from  being 
blown  upon  the  ground  or  grass  in  front  of  the 
hive  where,  in  cold,  wet,  and  windy  weather,  many 
are  liable  to  fall  to  rise  no  more.  These  rough 
alighting  boards  are  from  15  in.  to  18  in.  (more  or 
less)  long,  front  to  back,  and  in  width  the  width  of 
the  floor-board ;  they  can  be  made  of  the  roughest 
material — the  rougher  the  better,  as  affording  a 
firmer  foothold  for  the  bees — secured  to  the  under- 
side of  fillets  about  1  in.  by  |  in.  in  section  ;  these 
fillets  project  about  an  inch  above  the  boarding  so 
as  to  rest  on  the  floor-board  of  the  hive.  A  couple 
of  notches  should  be  cut  in  the  underside  of  the 
bottom  fillet  to  allow  water  to  drain  off,  and  the 
board  may  be  left  rough,  not  painted  or  coated  in 
any  way. 

Fig.  16  is  a  longitudinal  section  of  the  hive 
shown  by  Fig.  14,  showing  two  shallow-frame  boxes 


Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive.  29 

above  the  brood-nest ;  and  Fig.  17  is  a  cross  section 
of  the  arrangement  given  in  Fig.  15,  the  dotted 
lines  continued  upward  indicating  the  arrangement 
of  the  hive  for  summer  use,  but  showing  three  sec- 
tion racks  above  the  brood  nest  instead  of  the  two 
shallow-frame  boxes,  as  in  Fig.  10.    As  will  be  seen, 


Fig.  15. — Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive  arranged  for 

Winter  Use. 

plenty  of  room  is  allowed  for  winter  packing,  and 
accommodation  is  also  provided  for  a  stimulating 
feeder  for  spring  use,  as  indicated  by  dotted  lines, 
above  which  there  is  still  ample  room  for  warm 
wraps. 

The  hive  is    suited   alike   to  those   who   work 
solely  for  honey  in   the  comb,  and  to  those  who 


30   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

extract  the  surplus  for  bottling ;  and  when,  even 
though  it  is  desired  to  produce  comb-honey  as  the 
main  crop,  a  shallow-frame  box  is  added  early  in 
the  season  and  left  on  the  hive  until  its  close,  room 


Fi^ 


16. — Longitudinal  Section  of  Tiering  Bar-frame 
Beehive. 


for  two  section  racks  above  can  still  be  provided 
by  adding  an  ''  eke  '^  of  the  same  dimensions  as 
the  lift,  but  about  3  in.  deep,  with  fillets,  Ij  in. 
wide,  projecting  \  in.  below  its  bottom  edge  on 
two  sides  to  keep  it  in  position,  as  in  Fig.  18,  which 
shows  the  underside  of  the  ^'eke." 


Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive. 


31 


The  hody-box  is  double-walled  back  and  front, 
and  internally  it  provides  accommodation  for  ten 
frames  at  the  regulation  spacing  (1 /^  in.  centre  to 
centre),  two  spacing  slips  P  s,  and  two   dummies 


Fig".  17. — Cross  Section  of  llering  Bar-frame  Beehive, 

D  s  (Fig.  17),   by  means  of  which  the  body-box  is 
practically  double-walled  at  the  sides  also. 

Beginning  with  the  body-box,  take  the  two  sides 
A  and  square  across  from  the  top  edge  of  each  on 
the  inner  side  a  line  distant  \\  in.  from  each  end; 
the  distance  between  these  (14^  in.)  is  the  internal 
dimension  of  the  hive,  front  to  back,  and  allows 


32   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

a  J-in.  space  at  each  end  of  the  frames.  Next  take 
the  inner  walls  b,  and  having  bevelled  the  upper 
edge  of  each  on  the  unplaned  side  (see  Fig.  11, 
p.  21),  nail  the  sides  to  them,  keeping  them  lower 
edges  \  in.  up  from  the  bottom  edges  of  the  sides, 
and  making  the  planed  faces  coincide  exactly  with 
the  lines  marked  thereon,  as  shown  by  Fig.  19. 

As  the  internal  dimensions  of  the  hive,  front  to 
back,  are  important,  it  will  be  advisable  to  pre- 
pare a  gauge-stick — a  piece  of  wood  about  1  in.  by 
\  in.  cut  truly  to  length — with  which  to  keep  the 


Fi^.  18.—"  Eke"  for  Increasing  Height  of  Lift. 


inner  walls  the  correct  distance  apart  v/hilst  nail- 
ing ;  it  is  also  very  important  that  the  inner  walls 
are  fixed  at  right  angles  to  the  sides.  Measure  the 
distance  from  the  top  edges  of  the  sides  to  the 
upper  edges  of  the  inner  walls,  and,  if  all  measure- 
ments do  not  coincide,  make  them  do  so  by  planing 
away  the  sides  where  they  are  highest.  As  shoot- 
ing the  edges  of  the  sides  A  will  have  somewhat 
reduced  their  width,  the  front  and  back  boards, 
c  and  D,  must  also  be  reduced  in  width  to  corre- 
spond, and  should  have  the  inner  face  of  each 
smoothed  with  the  plane  for  about  2  in.  down  from 


Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive. 


33 


the  top  edge.  Deduct  y'g^  in.  from  fhe  measurement 
of  the  distance  from  top  of  side  A  to  top  of  inner 
wall  B,  already  taken,  and  mark  the  reduced 
measurement  upon  the  inner  face  of  both  front  and 
back  from  the  top,  and  below  these  lines  attach 
with  brads  the  packing  strips  E.  Nail  front  and 
back  to  the  ends  of  the  sides,  with  one  nail  each 


Fig.  19. — Body-box  of  Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive. 

at  top  and  bottom,  but  do  not  at  present  drive  them 
home. 

Now  prepare  another  gauge-stick  fully  17  in.  long 
— say  17  3V  i^-  ^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^  gauge  will  not  lie  com- 
fortably across  the  inner  walls  and  between  the 
outer  walls  without  tightness  or  end-shake,  dis- 
tances must  be  adjusted  until  it  will  do  so.  If  it 
is  a  tight  fit,  take  a  shaving  or  two  as  requisite  of£ 
the  face  of  each  packing  strip ;  if  the  fit  is  loose, 
one  or  two  thicknesses  of  stout  paper  interposed 
c 


34   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

between  front  or  back  and  the  strips  may  be  suf- 
ficient to  adjust  matters.  Measurements  being 
satisfactory,  nail  on  the  boards  permanently,  keep- 
ing the  front  \  in.  up  from  the  bottom  edges  of  the 
sides,  as  shown  by  Fig.  19,  clean  off  the  ends  flush 
with  the  sides,  and  punch  in  the  nail-heads. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  bees  having  access  to 
the  space  between  the  inner  and  outer  walls,  filling 
strips  F  should  be  inserted  and  secured  with  brads 
\  in.  below  the  top  edge  of  each  inner  wall,  and 
J  in.  above  the  bottom  edges  of  inner  and  outer 
walls  at  the  front.  A  similar  strip  may  be  fixed 
at  the  back  if  desired,  but  as  the  bees  cannot  gain 
access  to  the  space  from  the  bottom,  its  provision 
is  superfluous.  The  body-box  is  now  finished.  Oval 
wire  brads  for  hive  work,  those  for  nailing  body- 


Fig.  20. — Tongue-and-groove  Joint. 

boxes  and  lifts  to  be  2  in.  long,  are  recommended. 

The  floor-board  will  next  receive  attention.  It 
will  be  noticed  in  the  table  of  materials  (see  p.  26) 
that  the  main  floor  is  15  in.  wide,  consequently  a 
joint  will  be  necessary ;  and  as  the  floor-board  will 
be  more  or  less  exposed  to  the  weather,  a  glued 
joint  will  not  stand  for  any  length  of  time.  A 
tongue-and-groove  joint,  as  shown  by  Fig.  20,  is 
most  suitable,  but  failing  the  possession  of  suit- 
able tools  wherewith  to  work  such  a  joint,  a 
dowelled  joint  will  be  the  best  substitute. 

With  a  gauge  set  to  half  the  thickness  of  the 
wood,  mark  a  line  down  the  centre  of  the  edge  of 
one  of  the  pieces,  and  make  holes  with  a  bradawl 
on  this  line  2  in.  to  3  in.  apart ;  and,  having  cut 
the  heads  off  a  sufficient  number  of  wire  nails,  drive 
them  into  the  holes  with  the  points  projecting 
about  \  in.     Offer  the  edge  of  the  second  board, 


Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive.  35 

against  the  nail  points,  on  a  level  surface,  and  make 
other  holes  where  indicated  to  receive  the  points. 
Coat  the  edges  with  thick  paint  and  drive  the 
boards  together.  Cut  the  two  bearers  h  to  shape  as 
shown  by  Fig.  21,  and,  in  the  sinking  cut  towards 
the  front,  nail  the  ^^  floor  under  entrance  '^  k,  allow- 
ing it  to  project  (say)  2  in.  beyond  each  bearer. 

Next  nail  on  the  ^^  main  floor  ^'  j,  allowing  it  to 
project  over  the  '^  under  ^'  floor  \  in.,  and  the  same 
distance  over  the  ends  of  the  bearers.  Bevel  one 
edge  of  the  alighting  board  l,  nail  it  in  place 
against  the  '' under  ^'  floor,  and  drive  a  couple  of 
Ij-in.  brads  through  the  face  of  the  alighting  board, 
on  the  skew,  into  the  edge  of  the  "  under  ^'  floor. 

A  reference  to  Fig.  16  will  show  that  the  main 
floor  stops  short  of  the  front  inner  wall  of  the  hive. 


|^2|  H^ A % 

14: 

X  ^^^^ .— : — 1 

-== 

^  ^  ?^=?^   -~  -  "^^^^-^i:: 

Fig.  21.— Floor  Bearer. 

This  is  to  provide  a  means  of  ingress  and  egress 
for  the  bees ;  but  in  order  to  restrict  the  entrance 
somewhat,  and  also  to  afford  a  firm  base  upon  which 
the  body-box  may  stand,  a  packing  block  m  is  fixed 
on  the  *^  under  '^  floor  at  each  side.  Fig.  22  shows 
the  floor-board  with  one  block  in  position.  Bed 
the  blocks  in  paint,  nail  them  through  the  "  under  '' 
floor,  and  clinch  the  nails  underneath ;  chamfer  the 
front  edge  of  the  main  floor  between  the  blocks 
as  shown  in  Figs.  16  and  22,  and  the  floor-board  is 
finished ;  but  before  it  is  put  aside  it  should  be 
seen  that  it  fits  comfortably  between  the  side  walls 
of  the  body-box,  remembering  also  to  make  allow- 
ance for  the  thickness  of  several  coats  of  paint. 

The  utility  of  keeping  the  front  of  the  body-box, 
also  the  inner  walls,  \  in.  above  the  bottom  edges 
of  the  sides  will  now  be  apparent — the  sides  and 


36  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

back  drop  over  the  floor-board,  breaking  the  joint, 
keeping  the  body-box  in  place,  and  rendering  the 
provision  of  plinths  unnecessary. 

Although  making  the  floor  as  detailed  and  illus- 
trated entails  a  little  extra  work,  the  result  is  worth 
the  pains,  as  it  will  be  practically  an  impossibility 
for  wet  to  drive  in  on  to  the  main  floor ;  rain  might 
penetrate  to  the  sunk  floor,  but  it  could  not  pass 
the  barrier  raised  by  the  higher  back  portion,  con- 
sequently the  floor  would  be  always  dry.  Match- 
boarding  might  be  used  for  the  floor,  wrought  side 


Fig.  22.— Floor-board. 


downwards,  but  the  presence  of  so  many  joints 
would  give  the  bees  a  fine  opportunity  to  daub  the 
floor  with  propolis. 

The  lift  N  scarcely  heeds  description.  It  is  simply 
a  lidless  and  bottomless  box,  in  size,  internally,  J  in. 
larger  each  way  than  the  outside  measurements  of 
the  body-box,  over  which  it  is  required  to  telescope. 
Make  sure  that  it  is  quite  square,  and  put  half  a 
dozen  2-in.  nails  in  each  joint  so  that  it  will  stand 
a  fair  amount  of  rough  usage.  Fix  the  fillets  R  \  in. 
from  either  the  top  or  bottom  of  the  lift  to  form  a 
stop  upon  which  it  may  rest  in  either  position  upon 


2'iERiNG  Bar-frame  Beehive, 


37 


the  body-box,  and  also  to  break  joint  so  as  to  ex- 
clude draughts  and  small  vermin. 

To  make  the  roof,  nail  the  gables  s  to  the  sides 
T,  after  having  bevelled  the  upper  edges  of  the 
latter  to  correspond  with  the   slope  given  to  the 


Fig.  23.— Cutting  Beehive  Roof  Gables. 

wings.  In  cutting  out  the  gables  there  will  be  a 
certain  waste  of  material  if  one  pair  only  is  re- 
quired ;  but  where  not  less  than  three  pairs  are  cut 
out  at  one  time,  they  can  be  cut  from  an  11-in. 
board  with  very  little  waste,  as  shown  by  Fig.  23, 
the  shaded  portions  representing  the  "waste.'' 
On  each  side  of  the  centre  line  of  each  gable 


38  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

draw  a  line  parallel  thereto  and  distant  \  in.  ;  then 
temporarily  tack  on  the  wings  v  flush  with  one 
gable,  and  with  a  straightedge  draw  a  line  across 
both  gable  and  wings,  as  shown  by  Fig.  24.  Then 
set  a  bevel  to  the  lines  marked,  and  plane  away 
the  top  edges  of  the  wings  as  required.  This  done, 
permanently  nail  the  wings  in  position,  allowing 
them  to  project  \\  in.  over  each  gable.  Cut  away 
the  point  of  each  gable  level  with  the  bevelled  edges 
of  the  wings,  and  nail  on  the  cover-board  w,  first 
coating  its  underside,  also  each  bevel,  with  thick 
paint.  Well  nail  each  joint  at  3-in.  intervals,  and 
clinch  the  nails  inside,  or  screw  the  joints  together 
from  the  underside ;  and  if  the  roof  covering  is 
made  of  seasoned  material  and  is  kept  painted,  no 
wet  will  ever  find  its  way  inside  the  hive. 

The  rim  of  the  roof  should  be  \  in.  larger  each 
w^ay  inside  than  the  outer  dimensions  of  the  lift, 
and  when  the  fillets  R  are  tacked  on  inside,  \  in. 
up  from  the  bottom  edge,  the  roof  is  finished. 

For  the  purpose  of  providing  a  means  of  egress 
to  stray  bees  which  may  linger  round  the  hive  top 
or  surplus  boxes  after  manipulations,  and  also  for 
use  at  certain  seasons  as  a  super  clearer,  it  is  well 
to  fit  each  roof  with  a  cone,  as  shown  by  Fig.  7, 
p.  17.  A  1-in.  hole  should  be  bored  in  the  front 
gable  previous  to  putting  the  roof  together,  over 
which,  after  the  hive  is  painted,  a  brass  perforated 
cone,  which  can  be  purchased  for  Ijd.,  is  fixed  with 
brass  escutcheon  pins  or  small  round-headed  screws. 

The  utility  of  a  porch  p  D  is,  with  some,  a  matter 
for  argument,  it  being  contended  that  the  advan- 
tage it  affords  in  sheltering  the  entrance  to  the  hive 
from  rain-storms  is  quite  overshadowed  by  its  dis- 
advantage at  certain  times,  as,  for  instance,  when 
hiving  a  swarm.  As  the  porch  of  this  hive  is  de- 
tachable, it  is  not  open  to  any  such  objection ;  a 
few  turns  of  a  couple  of  screw-eyes  suffice  to  remove 
it  from  the  body-box,  and  a  few  more  turns  will 
refix  it,  either  in  its  original  position  or  upon  the 


Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive. 


39 


lift  when  the  latter  is  telescoped  over  the  body- 
box  at  the  approach  of  winter. 

Fig.  16  shows  the  shape  of  the  porch  brackets 
p  B  which  are  to  be  fixed  2  in.  in  from  the  ends  of 
the  back  pa  after  the  top  edge  of  the  latter  has 
been  bevelled  to  correspond  with  the  slope  of  the 
tops  of  the  brackets.  Nail  on  the  distance  fillet 
p  c  I  in.  from  the  bottom  edge  of  the  back,  and, 
after  bevelling  the  back  edge  of  the  slope  so  that 
the  top  back  edge  fits  close  against  the  hive  front 
when  the  porch  is  in  position,  nail  it  to  both  the 
back  and  the  two  brackets,  allowing  a  projection 
of  \  in.  over  the  back  edge  of  the  former.  A  couple 
of  l^-in.  screw-eyes — brass  wull  be  preferable — with 
a  washer  under  the  head  of  each,  will  provide  an 


Beehive  Roof  Wings. 


easy  means  of  securing  the  porch,  and  they  should 
be  inserted  outside  the  brackets  so  as  to  be  easily 
got  at  without  disturbing  the  occupants  of  the  hive. 

The  entrance-slides  p  f,  with  which  to  contract 
the  entrance  formed  in  the  floor-board,  are  simply 
pieces  of  wood  rectangular  in  section  with  the  ends 
cut  square,  and  having  a  small  screw-eye  or  round- 
headed  screw  inserted  in  each  as  a  handle  to  assist 
in  drawing  it  backward  and  forward  in  the  recess 
formed  at  the  back  of  the  porch.  When  entirely 
withdrawn,  the  slides  may  be  placed  in  the  open 
space  behind  the  back  of  the  porch  above  the  dis- 
tance fillet. 

Punch  in  all  nail  heads,  and  give  the  hive  at 
least  three  coats  of  some  light-coloured  paint,  stop- 
ping the  nail  holes  with  putty  between  the  first  and 
second  coats.    Although  the  inside  of  the  hive  need 


40  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliance^. 

not  be  painted,  the  floor-board  should  be  painted 
all  over ;  and  it  will  considerably  add  to  the  wear 
of  the  hive  if  all  joints  are  thickly  coated  with  paint 
before  being  nailed  together. 

It  is  highly  important  that  measurements  be 
strictly  adhered  to,  especially  as  regards  the  in- 
ternal dimensions  of  the  body-box,  its  squareness 
being  no  less  essential.  Bees  actively  resent  inter- 
ference when  brace  combs  have  to  be  torn  asunder, 
or  when  propolised  surfaces  part  with  a  "  snap ''  ; 
and  although  accuracy  is  not  so  essential  in  those 
parts  of  the  hive  to  which  the  bees  are  not  allowed 
access,  a  properly  made  and  well-fitting  hive  means 
comfortable  manipulations  and  few  or  no  stings. 


41 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   "W.B.C/'    BEEHIVE. 

The  '^W.B.C.^'  hive  is  a  bar-fram?,  hive  designed 
by  Mr.  W.  Broughton  Carr,  and  its  several  parts 
are  shown  in  the  ilhistrations  accompanying  this 
chapter.  The  stand,  floor-board,  outer  case,  lift,  and 
roof  are  shown  in  their  relative  positions  by  Fig.  25, 
but  drawn  apart  to  illustrate  their  construction 
better.  Fig.  26  shows  the  interior  parts  or  hive 
proper — the  eke,  body-box  or  brood-chamber,  and 
a  shallow  frame-box  or  super. 

The  following  particulars  of  the  sizes  of  wood 
used  in  making  this  hive  were  published  by  Mr. 
Carr  some  years  since.  The  floor-board  is  1  ft.  8  in. 
from  front  to  back,  the  alighting-board  projecting 
7  in.  as  shown.  The  width  of  the  entrance  is  1  ft. 
3|  in.  by  i  in.  high,  and  the  full  width  of  the  floor- 
board is  1  ft.  6j  in.,  as  shown  in  Fig.  25.  The  wood 
of  the  floor-board  is  J  in.  thick  (the  joints  being 
tongued  and  grooved),  and  nailed  to  battens  2^  in. 
deep  by  Ij  in.  wide,  cut  as  shown. 

The  front  and  back  boards  of  the  outer  case  are 
I  in.  thick  by  1  ft.  6|  in.  by  8|  in.  The  side  pieces 
are  ^  in.  thick  by  1  ft.  7J  in.  by  8|  in.  The  inside 
measurement  of  the  case  when  nailed  up  is  1  ft. 
5j  in.  by  1  ft.  TJ  in.  A  plinth  1^  in.  wide  is  nailed 
round  the  lower  edge  of  the  case,  and  drops  i  in., 
as  shown  in  Fig.  27 ;  this  figure  also  shows  a  rebate 
4  in.  by  i  in.  taken  out  of  the  strips  used  for  the 
plinth,  to  fit  the  case  over  the  floor-board. 

The  construction  of  the  porch,  which  is  nailed 
to  the  front  of  the  case,  will  be  best  understood 
from  Fig.  25.  The  roof  of  the  porch  is  4^  in.  wide, 
and  on  the  under-side  of  the  lower  edge  a  groove 


42   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliance^, 


Fig.  25.— Parts  of  "W.B.C."  Beehive. 


The  ''W.B.Cy  Beehive. 


43 


is  cut  to  turn  rainwater  off.  The  entrance  can  be 
closed  by  slides  of  ^-in.  wood,  10  in.  long  by  Ij  in. 
wide,  rebated  along  the  top  edge  to  slip  under  the 
rebated  edge  of  the  guide-piece  above  the  entrance. 
The  lift,  which  rests  on  the   outer  case,  is  of 


Fig.  26.— Inside  of  <-W.B.C."  Beehive. 

exactly  the  same  construction  as  the  case,  but  is 
only  6^  in.  deep. 

The  roof  just  slips  over  the  lift  or  outer  case. 
The  front  and  back  pieces  are  1  ft.  7|  in.  long,  3i  in. 
deep  at  the  ends  and  5|  in.  at  the  centre,  to  form 
the  ridge,  and  are  of  |-in.  stuff.    The  sides  are  of 


44   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 


|-in.  stuff,  1  ft.  8j  in.  by  3§  in.  The  lower  inner 
edge  of  the  side  pieces  is  rebated  |  in.  by  |  in.,  so 
that  the  roof  may  rest  on  the  edge  of  the  case 
below. 

The  body-box  or  brood  chamber  (Fig.  26)  is  con- 
structed to  hold  ten  standard  frames,  and  is  1  ft. 
2^  in.  by  1  ft.  3  in.,  inside  measurement.  The  front 
and  back  pieces  are  |  in.  thick,  15j  in.  long,  and 
8j  in.  wide,  and  fit  in  grooves  in  the  side  pieces 
1  in.  from  their  ends.  The  side  pieces  are  1  ft.  5  in. 
by  9  in.,  and  \  in.  thick.     From  the  top  corners  of 


Fig.  27.— Plinth. 


Fig.  28.— Section  of  Top  Edge  of 
Front  and  Back  of  Body-box. 


the  side  pieces  a  piece  is  nicked  out  to  receive 
strips  of  wood  1  ft.  4  in.  by  If  in.  by  \  in.,  which 
extend  from  side  to  side  at  the  back  and  front. 
These  strips  enclose  the  top  of  the  bar-frame  ends, 
keeping  them  in  position.  A  slip  1  ft.  3  in.  long 
and  I  in.  by  |  in.  square  is  nailed  between  the 
strips  and  the  front  and  back  pieces  of  the  box. 
A  strip  of  zinc,  on  which  the  frame  ends  rest,  is 
nailed  on  the  top  edge  of  the  front  and  back  pieces. 
Fig.  28  is  a  section  across  the  top  front  and  the 
back  edge  of  the  body-box.  The  dotted  lines  show 
a  corner  of  a  frame  resting  on  the  zinc  strip. 

The  shallow  frame-box  or  super,  which  fits  over 


The  ''W,B.CP  Beehive. 


45 


the  body-box,  is,  except  that  it  is  6  in.  deep, 
exactly  the  same  as  the  body-box.  The  bar-frames 
to  fit  are  5^  in.  deep. 

The  eke,  for  winter  use  only,  is  3  in.  deep,  and 
goes  below  the  body-box.  The  four  cleats  nailed 
to  its  top  edge,  shown  in  Fig.  26,  are  to  keep  it  in 
position  under  the  body-box.  The  eke  is  not  essen- 
tial, but  is  used  to  raise  the  body-box  to  give 
bottom  ventilation  when  wintering  the  bees.  It 
can  also  be  placed  below  the  shallow  frame-box 
to  bring  it  to  the  size  of  the  body-box. 

The  stand  for  the  hive  is  simple  in  construction, 
the   only  difficult  part  being  in   marking  out  the 


Fig.  29.— Marking  Out  Legs  of  Stand. 

wood  for  the  legs,  which  are  splayed  outwards  in 
the  direction  of  the  diagonals  of  the  frame,  to  which 
they  are  fixed.  The  splay  of  the  legs  depends  on 
the  depth  and  thickness  of  the  wood  of  the  frame  ; 
and  in  order  that  the  outside  faces  of  the  legs 
should  meet  the  bottom  edge  of  the  frame  corners 
exactly,  the  cross  section  of  the  legs  must  have 
the  form  of  a  trapezium. 

Figs.  29  and  30  show  how  to  find  the  correct 
angles  to  which  to  set  a  bevel  for  marking  out 
the  shoulders  of  the  legs.  From  a  point  A  (Fig.  29), 
draw  two  lines  A  b  and  A  c  at  right  angles  to  each 
other,  making  them  equal  or  proportional  to  the 
thickness  of  the  wood  of  the  stand  frame — that  ia 


46  Beehives  AND  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances. 


j  in. 


Join  B  c,  and  from  the  point  c  draw  the  line 
C  D  at  right  angles  to  B  c,  making  c  d  equal  or 
proportional  to  the   depth  of  the   frame — that  is 


Fig.  30.— Marking  Out  Legs  of  Stand. 

2J  in.  Then  join  B  d,  and  on  the  line  B  c  take  from 
the  point  c  a  distance  c  E  equal  to  A  c  and  join  e  d. 
With  B  as  centre  and  A  b  as  radius  describe  a  circle, 
and  with  d  as  centre  and  d  e  as  radius  describe  the 
arc  e  f  cutting  the  circle  at  the  point  f.  '  Join  b  f, 
and  produce  d  b  in  the  direction  G,  then  the  angle 
F  B  G  is  the  angle  for  the  bevel.  With  the  sizes 
given  this  angle  is  about  106^. 

The  angle  for  the   outside  faces  of  the  leg  is 


Fig.  31. — Cutting  Shoulders  of  Legs  of  Stand. 

found  as  in  Fig.  30.  Draw  two  straight  lines  A  b 
and  A  c  at  right  angles  to  each  other,  making  them 
equal  to  twice  the  thickness  of  the  wood  of  the 


The  ''W.B.C:'  Beehive. 


47 


frame^that  is  1^  in.  Complete  the  square  A  b  d  c, 
and  draw  the  diagonals.  Set  off  from  the  point  of 
intersection  E  a  distance  e  f  equal  to  the  perpen- 
dicular CH  (Fig.  29),  and  join  CF  and  F  B.  The 
angle  c  F  b,  about  95^,  is  the  angle  to  which  two 
adjacent  faces  of  the  wood  from  which  the   legs 


Fig.  32.  Fig.  38. 

Figs.  32  and  33.— Cross  Sections  of  Stand  Legs 

are  to  be  cut  should  be  dressed  before  the  shoulders 
are  marked  on  them.  Fig.  31  shows  the  marking 
out  of  the  shoulder  end  upon  the  wood.  Fig.  32 
is  a  cross  section,  and  Fig.  33  a  section  after  cut- 
ting along  the  lines  a  b  and  B  c  (Fig.  30). 


48 


CHAPTER  V. 

FURNISHING    AND     STOCKING    A    BEEHIVE. 

Being  in  possession  of  a  hive,  the  bee  keeper  must 
turn  his  thoughts  towards  the  furnishing  of  it 
suitably  for  the  habitation  of  the  bees.  True,  if 
given  the  empty  hive,  the  bees  will  themselves  pro- 
ceed to  furnish  it,  but  most  probably  in  a  style 
quite  at  variance  with  the  ideas  of  modern  bee 
keepers. 

In  a  bar-frame    or  movable-comb  hive,  it  is  of 
great  importance  that  each  comb  should  be  built 


-17^ 


^ 


^^ 


7"V3''' 


'^^\ 


-13  i 


^»!^H 


-14- 


Fig.  34.— B.B.K.A.  Standard  Frame. 

quite  straight  in  its  frame,  and  that  each  frame 
should  be  truly  square  and  in  fit  condition  for  being 
lifted  from  the  hive  without  tearing  asunder  any 
attachment  either  to  another  comb  or  to  the  hive 
walls ;  and  this  condition  can  be  secured  only  by 
correct  initial  management.  It  is  an  old  truism 
that  "  bees  do  nothing  invariably  '^  ;  but  as  a 
general  rule,  if  they  are  properly  started  in  the  way 
they  should  go,  they  will  not  make  any  serious 
departure  from  it. 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive,      49 

In  furnishing  a  beehive,  the  first  requisite  is  a 
set  of  frames,  each  of  which  will  eventually  contain 
a  comb.  The  ^^  standard  '^  frame  of  the  British 
Bee  Keepers'  Association  is  illustrated  by  Fig.  34, 
and  described  on  p.  10,  and  if  the  measurements 
there   given   are  adhered   to,  the    pattern  of  the 


Fig-.  35. — Broad-shouldered 
Frame. 


Fig.  36.— Abbot's  Broad- 
shouldered  Frame. 


frames  does  not  much  matter ;  it  will  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  method  employed  of  spacing  the  frames 
in  the  hive.  Bees  in  a  natural  state  build  their 
combs  from  Ij  in.  to  \\  in.  apart  centre  to  centre, 
and  the  spacing  usually  adopted  in  placing  frames 
is  1 2^(3  in.  centre  to  centre,  ten  frames  occupying  a 
width  of  14j  in. 

Frames  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two  classes : 

D 


c;o   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

broad-shouldered,  which  are  self-spacing ;  and 
shoulderless,  which  require  some  mechanical  con- 
trivance to  ensure  correct  spacing.  The  latter  is 
the  class  most  commonly  employed,  although  a 
considerable  number  of  apiarists  still  hold  to  the 
broad-shouldered    frame,     sometimes    called    the 


Fig.  37.  Fig.  38. 

Figs.  87  and  38.— Plain  Frames  with  "W.B.C." 
Ends,  Ordinary  and  Narrow  Spacing. 

"  Abbot ''  frame.  Figs.  35  and  36  illustrate  in  plan 
different  forms  of  broad-shouldered  frames.  Fig.  36 
being  the  "  Abbot ''  pattern ;  and  Fig.  37  illus- 
trates, also  in  plan,  a  shoulderless  frame  fitted 
with  ''W.B.C'  metal  ends.  Fig.  38  illustrates  a 
variation  in  the  working  of  the  "W.B.C'  end 
which  wall  be  referred  to  later. 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive,      51 

A  plain,  shoulderless  frame,  such  as  has  been 
previously  referred  to  as  the  B.B.K.  A.  "  standard  " 
frame,  consists  merely  of  the  separate  pieces  of 
wood  sawn  or  planed  to  the  correct  dimensions  and 
squarely  nailed  together,  and  for  this  purpose — as 
a  time  saver — a  frame  block  is  a  convenience  upon 
which  the  separate  pieces  composing  the  frame  are 
laid  and  held  in  position  whilst  they  are  nailed. 
Ten  such  frames  (Fig.  39)  are  required  for  the  hive 
shown  by  Figs.  1  and  2,  pp.  12  and  13.  It  is  very 
important  that  they  should  be  of  standard  size, 
with  the  top  bar  A  1  ft.  5  in.  by  |  in.  by  |  in.,  the 
length  over  the  uprights  1  ft.  2  in.,  and  the  depth 


Fig.  39.— Wired  Bar  Frame. 


over  all  8^  in.  The  bottom  and  side  bars  vary  in 
thickness  w4th  different  manufacturers,  but  J  in. 
for  the  uprights  and  -f^  in.  for  the  bottom  bar, 
especially  where  the  foundation  is  fixed  by  wiring, 
are  to  be  preferred. 

Materials  for  the  bar  frames,  ready  for  nailing 
together,  can  be  obtained  from  dealers,  who  also 
supply  blocks  for  keeping  the  frames  square  while 
being  nailed,  but  many  bee  keepers  put  the 
frames  together  without  the  blocks. 

In  working  for  extracted  honey,  shallow  frames 
are  now  generally  used.  These  have  1-ft.  5-in.  top 
bars,  and  are  1  ft.  2  in.  over  the  uprights,  but  the 
total  depth  is  reduced  to  5j  in. 


52   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Applmnces. 

However,  the  shoulderless  frames  in  most 
general  use  are  those  of  the  American  pattern,  the 
joints  in  which  are  shown  by  Fig.  40 ;  all  these 
joints  are  accurately  cut  by  machinery,  and  a  frame 
block  is  not  necessary  for  making  them  up.  Frames 
cost  so  little  that  it  does  not  pay  to  make  them, 
except  in  quantity,  and  then  only  when  a  circular 


-\ 


in 

Kin 


Fig.  41. — Securing  Side 
Bars  of  Frame  to  Top 
Bar. 


Fig.  40. — American  Jointed  Frame. 

saw  is  available,  and  material  that  would  otherwise 
be  wasted  can  be  used  up. 

These  observations  as  to  the  home-making  of 
frames  apply  with  still  greater  force  to  broad- 
shouldered  frames.  Fig.  40  clearly  shows  how  the 
parts  of  the  frame  fit  together.  Lay  the  top  bar 
en  the  bench  or  table,  force  the  tenons  of  the  side 
bars  into  the  mortises  cut  in  the  top  bar,  drive  on 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive,      53 

the  bottom  bar,  and  after  seeing  that  the  side  bars 
are  square  with  each  other,  drive  a  fine  wire  nail 
through  the  tenon  of  the  side  bar  into  the  top  bar ; 
one  at  each  end  on  opposite  sides  will  suffice  (see 
Fig.  41). 

Abbot's  broad-shouldered  frames  are  also  made 


Fig.  43.— Frame  Wired  to 
receive  Foundation. 


with  mortise  and  tenon  joints,  but  the   mortises 
are  cut  centrally  in  the  top  bar. 

To  induce  the  bees  to  build  combs  in  the  bar 
frames  instead  of  across  them,  it  is  necessary  to 
use  sheets  of  foundation  wax,  which  are  impressed 
with  the  bases  of  the  comb  cells.  For  the  brood 
chamber  these  run  about  six  or  seven  sheets  to  the 
pound,  but  thinner  foundations  are  used  in  the 
sections,  and  by  some  in  the  shallow  bar  frames. 


54 


Beehives  AND  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 


Some  bee  keepers  use  just  a  narrow  strip  of  founda- 
tion fixed  to  the  top  bar  of  the  frames,  but  it  is 
far  better  and  cheaper  in  the  end  to  use  a  full  sheet 
for  each  frame.  When  it  is  desired  that  the  comb 
shall  be  wholly  or  in  greater  part  built  of  cells 
/'  worker  '^  size,  it  is  advisable  to  use  sheets  of 
foundation  large  enough  to  fill  almost  entirely  each 
frame. 

Several  methods  of  fixing  foundations  in  frames 
are  employed,  the  most  common  and  the  most  ob- 
jectionable plan  being  to  insert  the  sheet  of  wax 
in  a  saw  kerf  cut  in  the  centre  of  the  top  bar,  as 
shown  in  Figs.  39  and  40.  Reference  was  made  to 
the  weakness  of  the  Association  "  standard ''  top 


. 

-^^  — i 

,   '^  ■ — ■ — 

r    —  - 

— i- 

r 

f 

^^ 

'' 

- 

..     ^-^^~~ 

-      - 

— n-^ 

L^r^ 

J^    - 

=^ 

-^ 

-    Jr- 

— 

;;^7-- 

— 

Fig:.  44. — Block  for  Wirings  Frame. 


bar  (I  in.) ;  to  put  a  saw  kerf  through  it  weakens  it 
still  further,  and  the  cavity  thus  formed  affords  a 
hiding  place  for  the  larvse  of  the  wax  moth — an 
insect  which  proves  very  destructive  when  it  once 
gets  possession  of  a  comb.  Fig.  42  represents  a 
much  preferable  plan  adopted  by  Abbot  Bros.  Two 
parallel  grooves  are  cut  on  the  underside  of  the 
top  bar,  the  foundation  F  being  placed  in  the  nar- 
rower one  ;  the  wedge  w  is  then  driven  tightly  into 
the  broader  groove,  by  which  means  the  wax  sheet 
is  very  firmly  secured. 

When  a  solid  top  bar  is  employed,  the  sheet  of 
wax  may  be  fixed  by  running  molten  wax  along  at 
the  junction  of  wood  and  foundation,  and  if  this 
is  done  on  each  side  of  the  sheet,  and  the  wax  is 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive.      55 

of  the  proper  heat,  a  good  joint  will  result.  But 
a  much  more  satisfactory  plan  of  fixing  full-sized 
sheets  of  foundation  is  to  wire  them  as  explained 
below. 

A  trellis  of  wire  is  secured  to  the  frame,  and 
these  wires  are  heated  and  embedded  into  the  wax 
itself  so  that  the  foundation  cannot  give  way  in 
the  hive — an  accident  that  no  other  method  is  proof 
against.  Each  apiarist  usually  has  his  own  method 
of  wiring  frames  ;  but  that  illustrated  by  Fig.  43  is 
general.  Before  making-up  the  frames,  run  a 
gauge  mark  down  the  centre  of  each  top  and  bottom 
bar  ;  then  upon  this  gauge  line,  and  at  distances 
marked  on  Fig.  43,  bore  holes  through  with  a  fine 


Fig. '45. — Gauf^e-board. 

bradawl ;  also  drive  in  a  J-in.  tack  between  one  end 
pair  of  holes  in  the  bottom  of  each  bottom  bar. 
After  the  frames  are  made  up,  thread  some  No.  30 
tinned  iron  wire  through  the  holes  in  rotation  by 
the  figures  and  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
arrows,  commencing  at  No.  1  and  finishing  at  No.  8. 
Now  fix  the  free  end  of  the  wire  from  hole  No.  8 
by  giving  it  a  twist  or  two  round  the  tack  at  T,  then, 
working  backward,  tighten  the  loop  between  7  and 
6,  then  between  5  and  4,  3  and  2,  and  finally  pass 
the  wire  two  or  three  times  round  the  tack  t,  ham- 
mer the  tack  home,  and  cut  off  the  surplus  wire. 
If  properly  done,  the  wires,  when  touched,  should 
emit  a  dull  musical  note,  and  neither  top  nor 
bottom  bars  should  be  strained  out  of  parallelism. 


56   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliance^. 

Another  method  of  wiring  a  frame  is  as  follows : 
Prepare  a  block  (Fig.  44)  that  will  just  fit  loosely 
inside  the  frame  (Fig.  44  is  drawn  to  agree  with 
Fig.  39).  This  may  be  about  |  in.  thick,  and  should 
have  four  lines  marked  on  it  as  shown.  This  block 
is  dropped  into  the  frame,  and  the  positions  where 
the  lines  intersect  marked  on  the  top  and  bottom 
bars.    Holes  are  bored  with  a  fine  bradawl  through 


Fig.  46.— Woiblet  Spur  Embedder. 

the  top  and  bottom  bars  where  marked  in  Fig.  39 
at  B,  c,  D,  etc.,  those  in  the  top  bar  being  bored  on 
the  slant  to  miss  the  groove  for  the  foundation.  A 
length  of  wire  is  then  taken  from  the  reel,  and  a 
small  loop  B  twisted  at  one  end,  and  the  opposite 
end  passed  up  through  the  hole  b,  down  through 
c  and  D,  up  through  e  and  f,  down  through  G  and  H, 
up  through  I,  when  it  is  put  through  the  loop, 
pulled  fairly  tight,  cut  to  length,  and  secured  by 
twisting  as  shown  at  J. 

For  fixing  the  foundation  to  the  wires,  and  also 
when  the  wax  sheet  is  secured  to  the  top  bar  by 


Fig.  47.— Wheel  of  Woiblet  Spur  Embedder. 

the  smelting  process,  a  guide-board  (Fig.  45)  is 
required.  This  is  a  piece  of  |-in.  wood,  in  size  \  in, 
less  each  way  than  the  inside  measurement  of  the 
frames,  and  to  its  underside  two  fillets  are  fixed 
crosswise,  as  shown,  of  a  size  so  that  they  project 
at  least  \  in.  on  each  side.  Upon  this  guide-board 
lay  a  sheet  of  foundation,  and  above  this  lay  the 
wired  frame.      Then   a  tool  called   an    embedder 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive.      57 

(Fig.  46)  is  heated  sufficiently  to  melt  beeswax, -and 
run  along  over  the  wires,  and  as  the  wax  melts  the 
wires  are  pressed  into  the  sheet,  into  which  they 
are  j&rmly  embedded  when  the  wax   again   cools. 


0= 


Fig.  48. — Spur  Embedder  with  Wooden  Handle. 

The  wheel  of  the  embedder  is  heated  to  a  black 
heat  in  a  gas  flame  or  fire ;  do  not  press  the  wire 
right  through  the  wax. 

The  favourite  tool  for  embedding  is  the  Woiblet 
spur  embedder,  and  Figs.  46  and  47  show  in  side 
elevation  and  in  part  plan,  respectively,  a  home- 
made tool  upon  this  principle.  The  wheel,  cut  from 
sheet  brass,  is  \  in.  in  diameter  and  J  in.  thick, 
and  the  wire  handle  is  of  J-in.  iron  wire  ;  a  wooden 
handle  instead  of  the  wire  loop  would  be  an  im- 
provement (see  Fig.  48). 

A  simpler  embedder  (Fig.  49)  can  be  made  in  a 


Embedder  made  with  Floor  Brad. 


few  minutes  from  a  ?>\-m.  or  4-in.  floor  brad ;  two 
are  useful,  as  one  can  be  heating  whilst  the  other 
is  in  use.  An  expert  has  had  in  use  for  several 
years  a  couple  of  these  homely  contrivances,  which 


58   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliance^, 

are  as  effective  as  more  costly  appliances.  Take  a 
floor  brad  (a  cut  nail  will  do),  and  placing  it  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  deal,  about  4  in.  long,  1  in. 
wide,  and  \  in.  thick,  give  the  two  a  good  squeeze 
in  the  bench  vice  to  embed  the  nail  in  the  wood. 
After  removal,  bind  the  nail  end  of  the  handle  with 
two  or  three  turns  of  copper  wire  and  secure  the 
wire  ferrule  with  a  touch  of  solder ;  then  put  a 
J-in.  screw  into  the  other  end  of  the  handle.  Eound 
off  the  point  of  the  nail  on  one  side,  as  shown  by 


Fig".  50. — Hoffman  Self-spacing  Frame. 

Fig.  49,  and  after  filing  away  the  point  until  it  is 
about  yig^  in.  thick,  file  a  nick  or  V-groove  in  the 
rounded  face,  and  the  embedder  is  complete.  The 
nick  or  groove  is  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the 
tool  on  the  wire  when  in  use. 

The  foundation  having  been  fixed,  and  the 
frames  being  ready  to  be  placed  in  the  hive,  the 
question  of  side  spacing  comes  under  consideration, 
that  is,  the  keeping  of  the  frames  of  comb  the  cor- 
rect distance  apart.  As  previously  mentioned, 
frames  are  spaced  laterally  in  the  hive  1-2%  in.  (li  in. 
bare)  centre  to  centre,  and  whilst  this  spacing  can 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive.      59 

be  accomplished  by  marking  the  end  of  each  frame 
at  its  centre,  and  placing  these  marks  opposite 
similar  marks  made  on  the  hive  side,  the  heat  of 
the  hive  is  not  conserved,  as  is  the  case  when  broad- 
shouldered  frames  or  distance  keepers  are  em- 
ployed. 

In  America,  and  also,  to  some  extent,  in  this 
country,  a  self-spacing  frame,  known  as  the  ''  Hoff- 
man,^' is  very  largely  used ;  but  in  districts  where 
propolis  is  abundant  the  bees  glue  the  frames 
together  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  a  frame  of 
this  type  a  nuisance.  Fig.  50  shows,  in  isometrical 
projection,  a  portion  of  two  such  frames.  It  may 
be  said  that  the  side  bars  are  1^"^  in.  wide  at  the 


Fig.  51.  -"  W.B.C."  Fig.  52.— Cast 

Tinplate  End.  Metal  End. 

top,  and  that  the  wide  part  on  one  side  is  reduced 
to  a  knife  edge. 

Broad-shouldered  frames  being  self-spacing,  the 
plain  frames  are  the  only  ones  that  require  the 
addition  of  metal  distance  keepers,  technically 
known  as  ^'  ends.'^  Priority  of  place  must  be  given 
to  the  '^W.B.C.^'  end,  the  invention  of  Mr.  W. 
Broughton  Carr.  It  is  shown  by  Fig.  51,  and  is 
stamped  out  of  a  single  piece  of  tinplate  and 
pressed  into  shape  by  dies.  Fig.  37  (p.  50)  shows 
how  these  ends  are  used  when  the  regulation  l/o-in. 
spacing  is  adopted ;  Fig.  38  (p.  50)  shows  how  the 
ends  are  placed  on  the  frames  when  l^-in.  spacing 
is  required  ;  Fig.  52  shows  a  cast  metal  end  some- 
what largely  used;  Fig.  53  shows  the  " Howard '^ 
end,  made  of  tinplate  ;  and  Fig.  54  shows  Dr.  Pine's 


6o  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers*  Appliances. 

cast  metal  end.  There  are  probably  more 
"W.B.C/'  ends  used  than  all  the  others  put 
together ;  they  are  made  both  for  |-in.  and  \-m,  top 
bars,  and  a  special  wide  end  is  also  made — for  |-in. 
top  bars  only — for  fitting  to  extracting  combs, 
eight  of  the  wide  ends  occupying  the  space  of  ten 
of  the  ordinary  pattern.  They  can  be  obtained  in 
two  widths,  l\  in.  bare  for  the  brood  chamber  and 
Ij  in.  for  the  shallow-frame  supers.  When  using 
l|-in.  ends  in  the  supers  it  is  a  good  plan  to  use 
"  drone  '^  foundation. 

Whilst  upon  the  subject  of  spacing  frames,  men- 
tion may  also  be  made  of  end  spacing.  If  hives 
are    made    according    to    instructions    given    in 


Fig.  53.— Howard  Fig.  54.— Pine's  Cast 

Tinplate  End.  Metal  End. 

Chapters  II.  and  III.,  end-spacing  appliances  are 
not  necessary,  as  the  top  bars  being  cut  accurately 
to  length,  make  a  perfect  fit  with  the  hives,  and  no 
end-shake  will  be  possible.  But  in  roughly  made 
hives  some  means  to  counteract  any  inaccuracy  in 
construction  will  be  necessary,  and  it  will  be  noticed 
in  Figs.  52  and  54  that  each  end  also  has  an  angular 
spur  on  the  underside,  the  spur  allowing  the  regu- 
lation i-in.  spacing  between  the  hive  wall  and  the 
frame  end. 

For  use  with  the  ends  illustrated  by  Figs.  51  and 
53,  and  also  with  the  Hoffman  self-spacing  frames 
(Fig.  50),  a  method  of  end  spacing  is  shown  in  Fig. 
55,  a  small  staple  being  driven  in  each  side  bar 
under  the  lug  so  as  to  project  J  in.  The  same  plan 
is  adopted  for  bottom  spacing,  as  shown  in  the 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive,     6i 

same  figure,  this  provision  being  made  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ensuring  that  bees— the  queen  especially— 
shall  not  be  injured  by  being  squeezed  between  the 
hive  side  and  the  frame  when  the  combs  are  being 
withdrawn  or  replaced. 

As  bees  build  their  combs  about  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, there  is,  nominally,  a  space  of  \  in.  between 
the  faces  of  capped  brood  on  two  adjacent  combs. 
As  the  outside  face  of  each  outside  comb  only  gets, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  half  of  this  working 
space,  two  plain  strips  of  wood  (see  p  s,  Fig.  17, 


Fig.  55. — Staples  used  as  End  Spacers. 

p.  31)  I  in.  by  i  in.  in  section  are  used  in  order  to 
increase  the  distance  between  each  outer  comb  and 
the  hive  side  or  the  "  dummy  '^  (d  s,  same  refer- 
ence). 

A  dummy  is  a  cleated  or  clamped  board  which 
fits  the  inside  of  the  hive,  and  has  a  top  bar,  by 
means  of  which  it  can  be  suspended  in  the  same 
way  as  a  frame.  Its  use  is  to  contract  the  brood 
nest  when  it  is  desired  to  give  the  bees  a  lesser 
number  of  frames  than  the  hive  provides  accom- 
modation for ;  and  in  the  hive  described  in  Chap- 
ter III.  a  pair  of  cleated  dummies  is  used  to  make 


62   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances. 

the  hive  double-walled  at  the  sides  when  ten  or  a 
lesser  number  of  frames  are  in  use.  The  sizes 
figured  on  Fig.  56  are  for  the  above-mentioned  hive, 
although  dummies  of  this  size  will  be  equally  ser- 
viceable in  any  other  hive  made  to  take  "  standard  ^' 
frames,  as  long  as  the  thickness  is  not  greater  than 
accommodation  can  be  found  for.     Fig.   57  shows 


Fig.  b^. — Back  View  of  Dummy. 


this  dummy  in  part  section,  and  by  the  dimensions 
given  in  Figs.  56  and  57  it  will  be  seen  that  its  total 
thickness  is  1  in.  ;  consequently  ten  frames  (14j  in.), 
two  spacing  slips  (i  in.),  and  two  dummies  (2  in.) 
exf^ctly  occupy  the  space  provided  in  the  hive  de- 
scribed in  Chapter  III. — namely  17  in.  The  dummy 
should  be  an  easy  fit  inside  the  hive,  and  its  dimen- 
sions should  be  14^  in.  (bare)  long  and  8^  in.  (bare) 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive.      63 

deep  under  the  top  bar.     The  illustrations  supply 
other  measurements. 

A  still  simpler  dummy  is  shown  by  Fig.  58.  This 
is  a  solidjrame,  and  (to  fit  the  hive  described  in 
Chapter  I.)  may  be  cut  from  a  piece  of  |-in.  pine, 


Fig".  57. — Section  of 
Dummy. 


Fig.  58. — Simple  Form  of  Dummy, 


1  ft.  5  in.  long  by  8f  in.  wide,  if  it  is  to  prevent  bees 
getting  behind  the  dummy,  although  some  bee 
keepers  prefer  to  have  the  dummy  with  a  |-in.  space 
underneath,  to  allow  the  bees  to  return  to  the  nest 
if  they  should  get  into  the  top  or  behind  the  dummy 
when  the  hive  is  examined,  and  for  this  reason 
make  it  8j  in.  wide.     It  is  a  good  plan  either  to 


^  ^,  ^>  v_-^  -,  -^ -^ 


Fig.  69.— Old  Style  of  Queen  Excluder. 

clamp  the  ends,  or  to  secure  ledges  A  across  the 
grain  of  the  dummy  to  prevent  warping. 

To  prevent  the  queen  bee  getting  up  into  the 
sections,  excluder  zinc,  which  is  pierced  with  slots 
through  which  only  the  workers  can  pass,  is  used 


64   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

over  the  brood  nest.  This  can  be  obtained  in 
sheets  16  in.  square,  and  is  best  laid  over  the 
frames  without  being  fitted  into  a  light  wooden 
frame  as  used  to  be  the  custom.  (This  old  style 
is  shown  by  Fig.  59.) 

Quilts  are  necessary  for   covering  the  frames, 


Fi^.  60.— Section  with  Foundation. 

and  for  this  nothing  is  better  than  a  square  piece 
of  American  cloth  of  good  thickness  laid  on  with 
the  painted  side  downwards.  Sheets  of  celluloid 
can  be  obtained  for  the  purpose,  through  which  the 
bees  can  be  seen  at  work ;  they  are  very  good,  but 
rather  expensive.  Over  the  first  quilt  a  number 
of  thicknesses  of  carpet  or  sacking  of  some  kind 
should  be  placed  to  keep  up  the  warmth  of  the 
hive,  and  for  this  woollen  material  is  the  best,  but 
it  harbours  moths,  and  for  this  reason  sacking  or 
cotton  material  is  often  preferred. 


Fig.  61.— Section  before  Folding". 

For  marketing  honey  in  the  comb,  sections 
(Fig.  60)  are  used.  These  are  wooden  boxes,  gener- 
ally 4j  in.  by  4^  in.  by  2  in.,  made  of  thin  bass-wood, 
and  they  each  hold  just  a  pound  of  comb  honey. 
Larger  sizes  can  be  obtained.  The  wood  for  mak- 
ing them  ready  prepared  can  be  bought  in  gross 


Furnishing  aatd  Stocking  a  Beehive,      65 

lots  for  about  2s.  6d.  The  pieces  are  V-jointed, 
as  shown  by  Fig.  61,  and  the  ends  are  machined  to 
fit  together  when  the  box  is  folded  over.  The  top 
side  has  a  saw  kerf  run  in  it,  which  is  used  for  the 
insertion  of  the  comb  foundation,  a  triangular  piece 
of  which  is  generally  employed  as  shown  in  Fig.  60. 


Fig.  62. — Cross  Section  of  Crate. 

If  the  wood  is  very  dry,  the  joints  should  be  damped 
before  folding  the  sections  together,  and  twenty- 
one  of  these  sections  are  packed  into  a  crate,  which 
is  shown  in  section  by  Figs.  62  and  63. 

To  make  a  crate  (see  Figs.  62  and  63),  two  pieces 
of  |-in.  deal  1  ft.  0|  in.  by  4^  in.,  and  two  1  ft.  3|  in. 
by  4i  in.,  are  nailed  together  to  form  a  bottomless 
box.  This  is  divided  into  three  equal  spaces, 
lengthways,  by  metal  bars  (Fig.  64)  placed  as  shown 
at  A  (Fig.  62).    These  can  be  obtained  from  dealers, 


1 


C  Q 

Fig.  63.— Longitudinal  Section  of  Crate. 


Fig.  64. —  Sec- 
tion of  Metal 
Bar. 


and  are  fixed  by  driving  into  a  fine  saw  kerf.  Two 
strips  B,  each  1  ft.  3|  in.  by  Ij  in.  by  |  in.,  are  then 
nailed  on  the  bottom  of  the  crate  lengthways,  and 
two  pieces  c  (Fig.  63),  1  ft.  0|  in.  by  |  in.  by  |  in., 
between  them  across  the  ends.  The  crate  is  then 
filled  with  the  sections,  one  of  which  is  shown  in 

£ 


66  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

position  at  d,  but  if  good  results  are  expected,  zinc 
or  wood  dividers  (Fig.  65)  should  be  placed  between 
the  sections,  six  being  used  in  each  crate. 

When  the  sections  are  placed  in  the  crate,  a 
follower  E  (Fig.  63)  is  required  to  keep  them  in 
position.  This  consists  of  a  piece  of  |-in.  deal 
1  ft.  Of  in.  long  by  4$  in.  wide,  placed  in  the  posi- 
tion shown  and  forced  against  the  sections  by 
means  of  a  spring,  slipped  in  at  f,  or  a  cork  cut  to 
length  will  serve  the  purpose.  A  couple  of  blocks 
G  (Fig.  62)  are  nailed  on  at  the  ends  for  lifting  the 
crate  off  the  hive. 

The  following  information  on  stocking  a  hive 
is  of  general  application,  but  also  refers  particu- 


Fig.  65. -Section  Divider. 

larly  to  the  simple  hive  described  in  Chapter  I., 
and  illustrated  by  Figs.  1  and  2  (pp.  12  and  13) : — 

First  fill  the  lower  portion  of  the  hive,  or  body 
box,  with  full  sheets  of  brood  foundation  wired 
into  the  frames.  Eight  or  nine  frames  will  be 
required  if  stocking  with  driven  bees  during  the 
autumn.  About  5  lb.  of  driven  bees,  costing  about 
6s.  6d.,  will  be  necessary.  If  possible,  obtain  the 
bees  from  a  dealer  in  direct  railway  communica- 
tion, or  delay  or  knocking  about  will  have  killed 
them  before  they  arrive.  Shake  them  out  of  the 
box  on  to  the  frames,  and  cover  with  a  piece  of 
American  cloth,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  hole  is 
cut. 

Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  bees,  have  pre- 
pared a  quantity  of  feeding  syrup  made  by  boiling 
4  lb.   of  sugar  in  a  quart  of  water,   to  which  a 


Furnishing  and  Stocking  a  Beehive,      67 

dessert  spoonful  of  salt  and  the  same  quantity  of 
vinegar  have  been  added.  Stir  the  syrup  whilst 
on  the  fire,  and  do  not  let  it  burn.  Boil  for  three 
or  four  minutes.  Place  the  syrup  in  a  large  glass 
jar,  tie  a  piece  of  open  textured  calico  over  the 
mouth,  and  invert  it  over  the  hole  in  the  quilt  on 
the  frames,  when  the  bees  will  suck  it  down. 
When  the  jar  is  empty,  slide  a  piece  of  tin  under- 
neath, or  smoke  the  bees  down,  and  take  it  off, 
refill,  and  replace.  From  20  lb.  to  25  lb.  of  syrup 
must  be  fed  to  the  bees  to  enable  them  to  live 
through  the  winter,  and  all  feeding  must  be  com- 
pleted by  the  end  of  September.  When  the  feed- 
ing is  finished,  remove  the  frames  not  covered  by 
bees,  close  up  the  dummy  to  the  side  of  the 
frames,  and  cover  up  warmly  till  the  spring. 

Another  method  of  stocking  is  to  buy  in  the 
spring  a  straw  hive  containing  a  good  stock  of 
bees  ;  place  this  on  the  top  of  the  frames,  of  which 
ten  should  be  used,  all  filled  with  full  sheets  of 
foundation.  Close  all  openings  at  the  top  to 
make  the  bees  work  through  the  proper  hive  en- 
trance, and  by  the  autumn  the  bees  will  have 
transferred  the  breeding  place  to  the  frames,  and 
the  straw  skep  filled  with  honey  can  be  removed. 
Still  another  method  is  to  purchase  a  strong  swarm 
of  bees  in  May,  but  in  this  case  honey  is  seldom 
taken  the  first  year. 


68 


CHAPTEE    YI. 

OBSERVATORY  BEEHIVE  FOR  PERMANENT  USB. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  observatory  beehives.  The 
hive  seen  at  flower  shows,  in  which  from  one  to 
three  frames  of  comb  with  bees  are  placed  for  a 
few  days  on  exhibition,  is  not  suitable  as  a  per- 
manent home  for  the  bees,  as  sufficient  heat  cannot 
be  maintained  by  them  to  hatch  eggs  and  rear 
brood  except  under  very  favourable  conditions. 
This  form  of  hive  is  fully  described  in  the  next 
chapter. 

The  observatory  hive  forming  the  subject  of  this 
chapter  is  a  permanent  home  for  the  bees,  special 
provision  being  made  for  wintering,  and  tiering  up 
in  the  summer  for  gathering  surplus  honey.  Ten 
standard  frames  are  used  in  the  brood  chamber, 
and  at  the  sides  are  flaps  which  may  be  opened  so 
that  the  bees  may  be  observed  through  glass  frames 
in  the  inner  shell  of  the  hive.  The  outer  flaps  must 
be  kept  closed  except  when  the  bees  are  examined, 
or,  having  great  objections  to  light,  they  will  cover 
the  glass  with  propolis  ;  it  is  a  good  plan  to  place 
a  cushion  of  some  thick  material  between  the  flaps 
and  the  glass,  especially  in  winter. 

To  make  the  observatory  hive,  first  prepare 
pieces  of  red  deal  for  the  stand.  Two  side-pieces  A 
(Fig.  66),  2  ft.  3  in.  long  by  2j  in.  by  Ij  in.,  and  two 
cross-pieces  B  and  c,  1  ft.  5j  in.  long  by  2^  in.  by 
Ij  in.,  will  be  required.  Bevel  off  the  front  for  the 
alighting  board  as  shown,  and  mortise  the  cross- 
pieces  into  the  sides. 

For  the  floor-board,  prepare  a  piece  of  pine  1  ft. 
6i  in.  by  1  ft.  6i  in.  by  I  in.  thick,  and  in  this  sink 
a  recess  12  in.  wide  by  |  in.  deep  and  sloping  up 


Observatory  Beehive  for  Permanent  Use,     69 

to  about  the  centre  of  the  hive  as  shown  at  d.  The 
floor-board  may  be  nailed  to  the  cross  and  side 
pieces.    Nail  the  alighting-board  E  to  the  sloping 


Fig.  66. — Vertical  Section  through  Observatory  Beehive. 

front  of  the  side-pieces,  taking  care  that  the  top 
comes  level  with  the  bottom  of  the  recess  in  the 
floor-board. 

The  brood  chamber  is  a  plain  bottomless  box 
of  |-in.  deal,  1  ft.  5  in.  by  1  ft.  4|  in.  inside  and 


70   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

barely  9  in.  deep.  On  each  of  its  four  sides  a 
square  hole  is  cut  as  f  for  the  reception  of  the  in- 
spection flaps,  a  bevelled  rebate  being  prepared  at 


Fig.  G7. — Half  Cross  Section  and  Half  Back  Elevation  of 
Observatory  Beehive. 

the  bottom  of  each  to  form  a  stop  and  keep  out 
the  wet,  as  shown  in  Figs.  66  to  68.  Across  the- 
front  and  back  two  frames  G  (Fig.  66)  with  glass. 
are  fixed  so  as  to  leave  a  distance  of  1  ft.  2^  in- 


Observatory  Beehive  FOR  Permanent  Use.     71 

between  them.  The  frames  should  be  fixed  flush 
with  the  bottom  of  the  box  and  |  in.  below^  the  top. 
Fillets  should  be  nailed  between  these  and  the  outer 


Fig.  68. — Front  Elevation  of  Observatory  Beehive. 

case,  the  bottom  ones  being  flush  and  the  top  ones 
I  in.  down  (see  Fig.  66).  On  the  bottom  of  the  back 
and  sides  a  2i-in.  by  ^-in.  plinth  H  (Figs.  66  to  68) 
is  nailed  to  keep  the  wet  from  getting  under  the 
floor. 


72   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

A  porch  at  the  front  of  the  hive  to  protect  the 
bees  when  returning  home  in  wet  weather,  and 
sliding  shutters  to  regulate  the  size  of  the  opening, 
the  construction  of  which  will  be  clear  from  Figs. 
B6  and  68,  are  shown.  The  porch  should  be  fixed 
ivith  screws  so  that  it  can  be  lowered  in  the  winter 
and  raised  in  the  summer.  The  side  flaps  F  should 
be  clamped  and  attached  by  means  of  brass  butt- 
hinges,  and  fastened  at  the  bottom  with  small  flush 
bolts  ;  or  turn-buttons  may  be  used  if  preferred. 

Over  the  brood  chamber  a  lift  J  is  shown.  This 
consists  of  a  bottomless  box  made  of  9-in.  by  J-in. 
stuff,  the  inside  dimensions  being  equal  to  the  out- 
side of  the  brood  nest.  The  sides  of  this  and  the 
brood  nest  may  be  dovetailed  together  or  lapped, 
or  butt-jointed  and  nailed.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
paint  well  all  joints  before  putting  them  together. 
Three-eighths  of  an  inch  from  the  bottom  of  the  lift 
a  1-in.  by  J-in.  strip  is  nailed  on  all  round  (see  Fig. 
66).  In  the  summer  the  lift  is  used  as  shown  in  the 
illustrations,  but  in  the  winter  it  may  be  turned 
upside  down  to  cover  the  flaps  and  keep  out  the 
wet.  A  further  lift  may  be  used  in  the  summer 
if  required  for  working  for  extracted  honey, 
but  it  should  be  made  with  a  plinth  the  same  as 
the  roof. 

The  construction  of  the  roof  will  be  clear  on 
reference  to  the  illustrations.  A  pair  of  cone  bee- 
escapes  are  fitted  in  the  front  to  allow  any  bees  that 
may  get  from  under  the  quilt  to  escape.  It  is  ad- 
visable to  cover  the  roof  with  sheet  zinc. 

The  interior  fittings  are  shown  in  the  sections 
(Figs.  66  and  67).  In  the  brood  chamber  are  ten 
frames  of  comb  with  W.B.C.  ends.  On  each  side 
of  the  set  of  frames  dummies  filled  with  glass  are 
used,  so  that  when  the  side  flaps  are  open  the  combs 
can  be  seen.  A  section  of  one  of  the  dummies  is 
shown  at  the  left  of  the  frames  in  Fig.  67.  In  the 
winter  two  or  more  of  the  frames  may  be  taken 
out  and  the  dummies  moved  closer  to  the  centre  of 


Observatory  Beehive  I^or  Permanent  Use.     73 

the  hive  and  the  space  outside  filled  with  some 
warm  material. 

The  super  over  the  brood  chamber  is  made  to 
take  eight  broad-shouldered  frames  or  ten  ordinary 
shallow  frames.  It  consists  of  a  box  14j  in.  by 
15  in.  by  6  in.  deep,  of  ^-in.  deal.  The  ends  are 
I  in.  shallower  than  the  sides  at  the  top  (Fig.  66), 
to  allow  for  the  shoulders  of  the  frames,  which  are 
kept  in  position  by  a  strip  of  wood  nailed  on  out- 
side, on  which  is  tacked  a  piece  of  tin  brought  up 
flush  with  the  top  of  the  frames. 

For  the  quilt  covering  the  frames  a  piece  of 
American  cloth  should  be  used  with  the  glazed  side 
downwards,  or  a  transparent  celluloid  quilt  through 
which  the  bees  can  be  seen  at  work  may  be  used 
if  preferred.  Over  this  a  piece  of  carpet  or  any 
thick,  warm  material  such  as  sacking  should  be 
placed.  Woollen  material  of  any  kind  is  not  re- 
commended for  quilts,  as  it  harbours  moths,  the 
warmth  of  the  hive  proving  very  attractive  to  these 
insects  (see  p.  64). 


74 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OBSERVATOEY  BEEHIVE  FOR  TEMPORARY  USE. 

The  leading  features  of  unicomb  or  observatory 
hives  for  temporary  use  are  the  same,  the  differ- 
ences being  in  the  details  of  construction  and  mode 
of  setting  up.  Indeed,  all  that  is  required  is  a  case 
glazed  on  opposite  sides,  within  which  a  single 
cake  of  comb  can  be  suspended  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  allow  no  greater  distance  from  the  glass  than 
is  sufficient  to  allow  the  bees  to  cover  the  comb 
on  both  sides.  This  distance  may  be  taken  as  about 
2|-  in.  ;  a  little  less  might  be  allowed  without  in- 
convenience, provided  selected  combs,  perfectly  flat 
and  even  in  thickness,  are  used. 

The  width  and  depth  of  the  case  will  depend  on 
requirements,  and  as  it  is  best  to  stock  an  observa- 
tory hive  with  frames  containing  comb  from  a 
colony  already  established  in  a  bar-frame  hive,  the 
dimensions  must  be  adapted  to  the  size  and  number 
of  frames  it  is  proposed  to  use.  The  smallest  size 
will  be  that  suited  to  a  single  standard  frame  14  in. 
by  8i  in.,  but  it  is  more  common  to  have  these  ob- 
servatory hives  to  hold  two,  three,  four,  or  six 
frames. 

The  observatory  hive,  illustrated  by  Fig.  69,  is 
to  hold  three  frames  of  the  size  above  mentioned, 
but  to  show  its  construction  better,  only  the  cen- 
tral frame  is  drawn  in  position.  Fig.  70  is  a  vertical 
cross  section.  Fig.  71  a  horizontal  section,  and  Fig 
72  a  sectional  plan  of  the  top. 

Mahogany  or  pine  is  a  suitable  wood  for  making 
the  hive,  or  both  may  be  used.  The  internal  frame 
A  (Fig.  69)  chiefly  determines  the  sizes  of  the  other 
parts  of  the  hive,  and  for  this  reason  it  should  be 


Observatory  Beehive  for  Temporary  Use.     75 

made  first.  This  frame  is  shown  in  detail,  with 
dimensions,  by  Fig.  73.  The  internal  dimensions 
should  be  exactly  followed,  but  the  frame  should 


if 

mill 


Fig-.  69. — Observatory  Beehive  for  Temporal  y  Use, 

l)e  left  a  trifle  full  outside  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
fitting  to  the  case  into  which  it  is  inserted,  by 
taking  shavings  from  each  of  the  sides  until  an 
exact  fit  is  obtained. 


76   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'*  Appliances. 


The  thickness  of  the  frame  should  be  1|  in.  if 
the  glass  windows  are  fitted  as  shown  by  b  (Figs. 
69  to  71) ;  but  if  the  glass  is  to  be  fixed  by  a  bead 
or  strips  of  wood  against  the  frame  A,  an  increased 


Fig.  70.-— Vertical  Cross  Section  of  Observatory  Beehive. 

thickness  will  be  necessary.  The  top  and  bottom 
pieces  of  the  inner  frame  are  fastened  at  the 
corners  by  screws  or  nails  as  shown  in  Fig.  73.  The 
notches  in  the  side  pieces  are  cut  with  a  tenon  saw 
and  a  chisel  to  a  depth  of  Ij  in.,  just  sufficient  to 


Observatory  Beehive  for  Temporary  Use.     77 

admit  freely  the  top  bar  of  the  frames.  The  pro- 
jecting ends  of  the  top  bar  rest  on  the  edges  of 
small  pieces  of  tinplate  as  shown  in  Fig.  69.  If  it 
is  intended  to  fix  the  inner  frame  to  its  outer  case 
by  means  of  dowels  through  the  sides,  the  holes 


i  ^^^^^^:^^s^^^^^^ 


Fig".  71. — Horizontal  Section  of  Observatory  Beehive. 

for  them  should  be  bored  before  the  inner  frame 
and  case  are  jointed  up. 

It  will  be  seen  from  Figs.  69  to  71  that  the  side 
pieces  of  the  case  fit  close  to  the  sides  of  the  inner 
frame,  but  the  top  and  bottom  pieces  f  and  E  are 
clear  by  a  space  of  about  |  in.  and  \  in.  respectively. 
The  shape  of  the  side  pieces  of  the  case  G  is  seen  in 
Fig.  69.  The  top  piece  f  is  fixed  to  the  sides  by 
dovetailing,  or  by  nails  or  screws,  and  the  bottom 
piece  E  slips  into  a  groove  cut  in  the  side  pieces. 

The  base  h  (Figs.  69  to  71),  into  which  the  lower 


Fig.  72.— Sectional  Plan  of  Observatory  Beehive  Top. 

ends  of  the  side  pieces  are  slightly  sunk,  is  a  flat 
board  with  a  moulded  or  chamfered  edge,  sup- 
ported on  four  edging  pieces  mitred  together  at  the 
corners.  The  piece  e  is  perforated  with  a  number 
of  J-in.  holes,   which  form  a  communication  with 


78   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

the  interior  of  the  lower  part  of  the  case.  This  is 
closed  in  on  both  sides  with  frames  m  fitted  with 
panels  of  perforated  zinc  or  wire  cloth.  This  lower 
chamber  is  intended  as  a  means  of  giving  ventila- 
tion to  the  hive  when  the  bees  are  confined  by 
closing  the  entrance  L  (Fig.  69),  when  no  provision 
for  flight  can  be  made.  At  other  times  the  holes 
in  the  piece  e  are  closed  by  sliding  a  thin  slip  of 
wood  or  vulcanite  through  the  doorway  l  between 
the  bottom  of  the  inner  frame  A  and  the  top  of  the 
piece  E,  thus  cutting  off  the  communication  between 
the  hive  and  the  ventilating  chamber  below. 

Above  the  top  piece  f,  and  screwed  to  it,  is  a 
piece  of  board  4  in.  thick,  with  a  rectangular  slot 
cut  in  its  central  part.  This  piece  N  (Figs.  69  and 
70)  is  shown  in  half-plan  on  the  left  of  Fig.  72,  and 
it  will  be  seen  that  its  breadth  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  pieces  forming  the  case,  and  that  it  projects 
about  1  in.  at  each  side.  Below  these  projecting 
ends,  and  against  the  sides  G  (Fig.  69),  blocks  o,  to 
strengthen  the  corners  of  the  case,  are  fastened  by 
screws  or  dowelled  and  glued. 

Surmounting  the  case  is  a  cap,  P,  the  upper  edges 
of  which  are  bevelled  ;  it  is  secured  to  the  case  with 
thumbscrews,  so  that  it  may  be  easily  removed  for 
bottle-feeding  the  bees  through  a  hole  in  f  (see 
Fig.  72).  Within  the  slot  in  N  a  piece  of  perforated 
zinc  should  be  loosely  fitted  to  keep  the  bees  from 
coming  through  the  holes.  If  it  is  not  intended  to 
use  these  holes  as  ventilators  when  the  bees  are 
confined  to  the  hive,  any  simple  means  may  be  used 
to  cover  up  the  holes. 

If  desired,  a  bow  handle  by  which  to  lift  the 
hive  can  be  fastened  to  the  flat  part  of  the  cap, 
in  which  case  the  small  plates  into  which  the 
thumbscrews  hold  must  be  fixed  to  the  underside 
of  the  piece  N  and  sunk,  and  not  as  shown  in  the 
left-hand  part  of  Fig.  72. 

The  two  windows  are  frames  made  up  of  four 
pieces  with  a  groove   ploughed  in  one  edge   and 


Obser  va  tor  V  Beehive  for  Tempora  r  y  Use.     7  9 

mitred  together  at  the  corners.  Half  a  window  is 
shown  in  the  right-hand  part  of  Fig.  69.  The  inside 
measurements  of  the  window  frames  are  the  same 
as  those  of  the  inner  frame  A,  and  the  breadth  of 


Fig.  73. — Inside  Frame  of  Observatory  Beehive. 

the  top  and  side  pieces  is  \\  in.  The  bottom  piece 
is  If  in.  wide,  which  throws  the  line  of  the  bottom 
corner  joints  a  little  out  of  a  true  mitre  of  45°. 
This  can  be  obviated  by  making  the  four  pieces  of 


8o  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

the  window  frame  If  in.  broad,  a  small  reduction 
in  its  internal  breadth  and  depth  being  allowed  to 
suit.  On  each  side  of  the  windows,  and  fixed  to  the 
case,  are  the  strips  R  (Figs.  69  and  71),  to  which 
small  catches,  that  secure  the  windows  in  their 
places,  are  screwed.  Four  shutters  s  (see  also  Fig. 
70),  hinged  to  the  case,  are  provided  to  shut  out 
the  light  as  well  as  to  retain  heat.  They  are  framed 
and  filled  in  with  a  panel,  and  should  be  provided 
with  a  bolt  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  one  of  the 
shutters,  and  a  latch  on  the  other.  Some  bee 
keepers  recommend  lining  the  inside  of  the  shutters 
with  felt  or  other  heat-retaining  material ;  but  as 
this  hive  is  only  for  use  in  the  warm  season  of  the 
year,  this  is  unnecessary. 

The  hive  should  be  set  up  within  doors  ;  a  warm 
out-house  or  shed  will  do  very  well,  or  a  room  in  a 
dwelling-house  might  be  used  for  the  purpose.  A 
covered  passage  must  be  made  through  the  wall 
to  the  outside  for  the  bees.  A  small  bracket  land- 
ing place  for  the  bees  is  shown  by  dotted  lines 
close  to  the  entrance  L  (Fig.  69). 

In  stocking  an  observatory  hive  of  this  kind, 
select  three  combs  from  the  centre  of  a  strong 
colony  in  a  bar-frame  hive  containing  plenty  of 
brood  in  all  stages  from  the  egg  upwards.  Lift 
them  out,  and  place  one  at  a  time  into  the  uni- 
comb  hive  with  the  bees  clinging  to  them,  taking 
care  that  the  queen  bee  is  also  moved  in.  It  is 
advisable  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  bees  to 
populate  the  observatory  hive  should  be  young 
ones  that  have  not  flown,  otherwise  there  is  great 
risk  of  depleting  it,  through  the  older  bees  going 
back  to  the  hive  from  which  they  were  taken. 
On  this  account  it  is  preferable  to  operate  on  a 
fine,  warm  day,  at  a  time  when  many  of  the  older 
bees  are  out,  and  it  is  then  a  comparatively  easy 
matter  to  take  with  a  stiff  feather  or  piece  of 
card  from  several  frames  as  many  young  bees 
(known  by  their  lighter  colour)  as  are  required. 


Observatory  Beehive  for  Temporary  Use.     8i 


It  is  quite  possible  to  succeed  without  taking 
the  queen  with  the  bees,   if  the  combs  contain 


Fig.  74. — Mounting  Observatory  Beehive  on  Brackets 
with  Pivots. 

eggs,  or  larvse  not  more  than  three  days  old,  from 
which  the  bees  can  raise  a  young  queen,  but  in 


82   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances. 


Fig.  75.  —Mounting  Observatory  Beehive  on  Feet  with  Pivot. 


Observatory  Beehive  FOR  Temporary  Use.     83 

this  case  considerable  time  elapses  (about  six 
weeks)  before  the  progeny  of  the  young  queen  is 
added  to  the  population,  which,  meanwhile,  will 
diminish  somewhat  in  number,  so  that  results  may 
not  prove  as  satisfactory  as  by  the  adoption  of 
the  first  method. 

There  are  various  ways  of  mounting  observatory 
hives  besides  that  illustrated  in  Fig.  69.  Fig.  74 
shows  in  section  a  hive  swung  between  pivots,  so 
that  it  can  be  turned  with  either  side  to  the  wall. 
The  lower  pivot  is  of  wood  with  a  central  hole 
through  which  the  bees  pass  to  the  hive,  a  hole 
being  cut  through  the  supporting  block  up  which 
the  bees  may  creep.  This  block  comes  against  the 
opening  cut  in  the  external  wall  of  the  room 
against  which  the  board,  to  which  the  whole  is 
fixed,  is  bolted.  The  top  pivot  can  be  withdrawn 
so  that  the  hive  case  may  be  detached. 

The  hive  can  also  be  supported  on  a  central 
pivot  as  shown  in  Fig.  75.  The  foot  is  cross- 
shaped,  one  of  the  pieces  being  hollow  and  form- 
ing the  entrance  for  the  bees.  In  the  interior  of 
the  foot  immediately  below  the  hollow  pivot  an 
incline  of  wood  is  placed  to  guide  the  bees  to  the 
hole  that  leads  into  the  hivo. 


«4 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

INSPECTION    CASE    FOR    BEEHIVES. 

An  observatory  hive  is  an  expensive  luxury  that 
few  amateur  bee  keepers  can  afford ;  and  although 
an  inspection  case  (Fig.  76)  will  not  take  its  place 
for   exhibition   purposes   it  will   be   found  useful 


Fig.  76. — Inspection  Case  for  Beehives. 

when  showing  the  working  of  a  hive  to  timid  per- 
sons, or  for  examining  the  frames  on  a  cold  day 
when  there  is  danger  of  the  brood  being  chilled, 
or  the  queen  blown  off  the  comb.  It  will  also 
be  found  useful  to  those  bee  keepers  who  strongly 
object  to  being  stung.  The  frames  may  be  lifted 
one  after  another  into  the  case  and  examined  on 


Inspection  Case  for  Beehives, 


85 


both  sides ;  a  frame  may  be  transferred  to  an- 
other hive  ;  queen  cells  may  be  cut  out  by  sliding 
back  the  glass  slightly  to  insert  a  thin-bladed  knife 


Fig.  77. — Section  of  Inspection  Case. 

for  that  purpose ;  or  a  frame  of  honey  may  be 
removed  from  the  hive  by  lifting  it  into  the  case 
and  driving  out  the  bees  with  smoke  or  carbolic, 
when  such  a  course  happens  to  be  necessary. 


Fig.  78.— End  Elevation  of  Inspection  Case. 

The  case  is  made  of  ^-in.  pine  throughout,  of  a 
length  to  take  standard  size  bar-frames.  The 
total  length  must  be  determined  by  the  size  of  the 


86  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

hives  for  which  the  case  is  made.  Fig  77  shows 
the  case  on  a  hive,  with  the  outer  casing,  beyond 
the  end  of  the  bar-frames,  j  in.  thick.  Fig.  78  is 
an  end  view  of  the  case.  If  two  sizes  of  hive  are 
used,  the  case  may  be  made  to  the  longest  hive 
and  a  piece  of  calico  tacked  on  from  side  to  side, 
as  shown  at  c  (Fig.  79). 

To  make  the  case,  proceed  as  follows :  Cut  two 
pieces  of  pine,  \\  in.  by  \  in.,  and  3  in.  longer 
than  the  length  of  hive,  and  two  pieces,  1  in.  by 
\  in.,  equal  to  the  length  of  the  hive.  Plane  these 
up  and  rebate  them  \  in.  deep  in  the  width,  and 
the  depth  of  the  thickness  of  a  piece  of  window 


Fig.  79, — Arrangement  of  Case  to  Fit  Two  Lengths 
of  Beehives. 


glass  (15  oz.)  in  the  thickness.  Next  get  out  four 
pieces  10  in.  long  by  2  in.  by  \  in.  ;  nail  the  long 
pieces  to  the  short,  as  shown  in  the  drawings,  and 
this  will  make  the  two  sides. 

Now  prepare  the  top,  bottom,  and  end  pieces. 
For  the  top,  two  pieces  will  be  required  7  in.  long 
by  \\  in.  wide  by  \  in.  thick.  Rebate  these  for 
a  piece  of  window  glass  to  form  the  top,  and  cut 
a  piece  out  as  at  A  (Fig.  76)  to  allow  of  the  frames 
being  lifted  out  if  required.  The  size  of  pieces  cut 
out  must  be  regulated  by  the  length  of  the  frames, 
and  the  rebate  worked  to  the  full  depth  of  the 
pieces  cut  out.  Two  light  pieces  are  nailed  on 
the  bottom  of  these  top  pieces,   as  shown  at  A 


Inspection  Case  for  Beehives, 


s? 


(Fig.  77),  to  form  a  groove  to  prevent  the  glass 
falling  into  the  case. 

The  bottom  pieces  are  7  in.  long  by  \\  in.  by 
\  in.,  and  are  to  be  nailed  on  the  projecting  ends 
of  the  bottom  side  pieces,  to  form  a  rebate  to 
keep  the  case  in  position  on  the  hive. 

Four  end  pieces  are  required,  10^  in.  by  li  in. 


^^« 


:^ 


Wl 


Fig".  80. — Securing  End  Openings  of  Inspection  Case. 

by  \  in.,  and  are  nailed  to  the  top  pieces,  sides, 
and  through  the  bottom  pieces,  which  will  com- 
plete the  woodwork. 

Three  pieces  of  glass  will  next  be  required,  one 
for  the  top,  1  ft.  5  in.  long  by  6  in.  wide,  and  two 
to  fill  the  spaces  at  the  sides.  Two  little  buttons 
are  screwed  on,  as  shown  at  b  (Fig.  76),  to  keep 
the  top  glass  in  position,  while  four  small  screws  o 


Fig.  81. — Cross  Section  of  Inspection  Case. 

will  serve  to  keep  the  side  glasses  from  falling  off. 
The  spaces  at  each  end  are  filled  with  four  pieces 
of  calico  or  other  suitable  material,  and  an 
arrangement  is  made  here  to  get  the  fingers  in  to 
lift  the  frames  without  letting  the  bees  get  out. 
Fig.  80  will  explain  how  this  is  done.  One  edge 
of  each  piece  of  calico  is  hemmed,  and  a  piece  of 


88  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

elastic  drawn  through  A.  The  calico  is  tacked  on 
at  the  bottom,  top,  and  sides,  leaving  the  elastic 
edges  free.  A  (Fig.  78)  shows  the  elastic  edges 
drawn  back  ready  for  the  insertion  of  the  fingers. 
Two  pieces  of  calico  will  now  be  required,  each 
large  enough  to  cover  the  whole  top  of  the  hive. 
These  are  tacked  to  the  bottom  bars  of  the  case, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  81.  To  complete  the  case,  eight 
2-in.   wire  nails  are  driven  through  the  sides  at 


Fig.  82. — Handle  for  Lifting  Frames. 

B    (Fig.    81),    on    which   to   hang   the    frames    for 
examination. 

When  using  the  case,  take  off  the  cover  of  the 
hive ;  begin  from  one  side,  and,  as  the  quilt  is 
rolled  off,  push  the  case  on.  The  frames  may  then 
be  lifted  up  into  the  case,  as  shown  at  Fig.  77, 
and  hung  on  the  nails.  A  couple  of  hooks  (Fig. 
82),  made  with  a  piece  of  steel  wire  and  a  couple 
of  bradawl  handles,  may  be  used  for  lifting  the 
frames. 


89 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HIVE   FOR  REARING   QUEEN  BEES. 

Bee  keeping,  conducted  upon  advanced  principles, 
requires  the  bee  keeper  to  provide  himself  with  a 
supply  of  fertile  queen  bees  during  the  working 
season.  These  are  introduced  into  stocks  that 
have  been  swarmed  by  art,  in  order  to  supply  the 
place  of  the  queen  taken  from  them ;  or,  in  the 
case  of  natural  swarms,  to  save  the  time — very 
precious  during  the  honey-flow — that  would  elapse 
before  the  immature  queens  left  on  the  departure 
of  the  first  swarm  arrive  at  maturity,  and  take  up 
the  maternal  duty  of  keeping  up  the  working  popu- 
lation of  the  hive,  or  of  the  new  colonies  which 
the  secondary  swarm  or  swarms  originate.  They 
will  also  be  needed  to  enable  the  bee  keeper  to 
carry  out  certain  other  objects  he  may  contem- 
plate, such  as  the  supersession  of  queens  whose 
powers  are  declining  through  age,  or  which  lack 
the  desirable  qualities  good  queens  possess. 

The  rearing  of  queens  is  then  an  important 
matter  with  bee  keepers  who  have  apiaries  of  more 
than  a  few  stocks  of  bees.  The  work  is  usually 
done  by  setting  apart  several  small  colonies  of 
bees  obtained  by  the  division  of  full-sized  stocks. 
The  queens  are  reserved,  so  that  the  colonies  are 
queenless,  and  in  each  of  these  queenless  colonies 
a  selected  queen  cell  eight  or  nine  days  old  is 
placed.  A  few  days  after  the  queen  will  arrive  at 
maturity  and  liberate  herself  from  the  cell,  and  at 
a  later  stage,  if  all  goes  well,  she  will  be  found 
busily  employed  laying  eggs,  and  receiving  the 
attentions  of  her  subjects.  As  soon  as  the  bee 
keeper  is  assured  of  the  queen^s  fertility  by  the 


90  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances* 

presence  of  eggs,  or  better,  of  worker  brood  in  the 
hive,  he  may  utilise  her  as  he  thinks  proper. 

Full-sized  hives,  with  the  interior  space  con- 
tracted by  means  of  division-boards,  so  as  just  to 
take  in  three  bar  frames,  serve  for  queen-rearing, 
but  it  is  generally  more  expedient  to  use  special 
or  nucleus  hives  of  simple  construction  and  smaller 
size,  which  are  easy  to  manipulate  or  move  about. 

The  hive,  of  which  a  perspective  view  is  given 
in  Fig.  83,  is  half  the  size  of  the  usual  full-sized 


Fig".  83. — Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees. 

hive.  It  takes  in  five  standard  size  bar-frames, 
and  will  serve  either  for  queen-rearing  or  to  ac- 
commodate temporarily  a  small  or  medium  swarm. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  make,  and  to  a  beginner  in 
bee  keeping  who  proposes  to  make  his  own  hives 
it  will  afford  a  preliminary  exercise  before  taking 
in  hand  the  construction  of  stock-hives. 

A  plan  of  the  body  box,  and  as  much  of  the 
base-board  as  can  be  seen  by  looking  directly 
downwards,  is  shown  in  full  outline  in  Fig.  84; 
and  Fig.   85  is  a  longitudinal  section  taken  cen- 


Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees, 


91 


trally  through  the  roof,  body,  and  base,  or  foot- 
board. 

As  the  hive  is  to  hold  standard  frames,  the  size 
of   the   frame   determines   the   dimensions   of   the 


Fig.  84.— Plan  of  Body-box. 


Fig.  85. — Section  of  Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees. 

body  box.  The  outside  measure  of  the  standard 
frame  is  14  in.  by  8^  in.  by  \  in.  The  top  bar 
is  17  in.  long  and  |  in.  thick ;  the  side  pieces  and 
the  bottom  bar  are  \  in.  and  \  in.  thick  respec- 
tively.    The  space  between  the  frame  ends  and 


92   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

the  inside  of  the  hive  body  is  \  in.,  so  that  the 
inside  length  of  the  body  box  is  14j  in.  The  in- 
side width,  to  take  in  five  frames,  each  1^  in.  from 
centre  to  centre,  is  7}  in.,  and  the  depth  to  give 
a  |-in.  space  below  the  frames  is  Sj  in.  These 
three  regulating  dimensions  are  marked  on  Figs. 
84  and  85,  and  as  the  illustrations  are  drawn  to 
scale,  other  measurements  may  be  taken  from 
them. 

The  body  of  the  hive  is  made  up  of  six  pieces : 
two  sides  A,  two  ends  b,  and  two  inside  ends  c. 


Fi^.  86.— Modified  Body-box. 

The  ends  b  fit  into  rebates  in  the  sides  A,  and  the 
inside  pieces  c  into  grooves  cut  in  the  sides,  as 
shown  in  plan  (Fig.  84).  If  frames  with  IS^-in. 
top  bars  are  used,  as  is  sometimes  done,  a  simpler 
body  box  will  be  suiO&cient,  as  shown  in  the 
isometrical  sketch  (Fig.  86),  where  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  outside  pieces  b  (Figs.  84  and  85)  are 
dispensed  with,  their  places  being  taken  by  small 
pieces  fastened  on  the  top  edge  of  the  box  ends. 
As  the  end  pieces  do  not  reach  the  level  of  the 
top  edges  of  the  sides,  a  rebate  is  left  into  which 
the  ends  of  the  top  bar  of  the  frame  will  fit  so 
as  to  suspend  the  frame  vertically  in  the  hive. 


Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees, 


93 


The  hive  body  being  made  to  correct  size — and 
as  a  precautionary  measure  it  is  well  to  have  a 
bar-frame  handy  to  try  the  fit  from  time  to  time 
during  the  making,  so  as  to  avoid  mistakes — the 
base  and  roof  are  made  to  correspond.  Supposing 
the  sides  A  (Fig.  84)  are  made  of  wood  planed  up 
to  I  in.  thick,  the  width  of  the  base-board  will  be 
8i  in.,  and  if  the  ends  b  are  of  J-in.  stuff,  the 
length  of  the  flat  part  on  which  the  body  of  the 
hive  rests  will  be  18  in.  ;  and  allowing  5  in.  for  the 
flight-boards  before  the  hive  door,  the  total  length 
will  be  23  in. 


Fig.  88. — Distance  Rack. 


Fig.  87. — Division-board, 

The  construction  of  the  base-board  and  the  roof 
can  be  best  understood  by  reference  to  the  figures. 
The  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  84  show  the  roof  in  plan. 
In  each  of  the  four  inside  corners  of  the  roof, 
pieces  of  wood  of  square  section  (d.  Fig.  85)  are 
nailed ;  these  rest  on  the  corners  of  the  hive  body, 
and  support  the  roof  in  position.  The  door  is  cut 
as  shown  at  E  (Fig.  85),  and  a  strip  of  wood  is 
nailed  to  the  lower  part  of  the  sides  A  (Fig.  84) 
to  keep  the  hive  upon  the  footboard.  These  strips 
are  shown  in  Fig.  83,  but,  in  order  to  avoid  con- 
fusion, are  not  shown  in  Fig.  84. 

When  the  hive  is  used  for  queen-rearing,  it 
would   be    contracted    so    as   just   to    hold   three 


94  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

frames.  A  division-board  or  dummy  on  each  side 
of  the  frames  will  effect  this.  Fig.  87  shows  one  of 
the  division-boards,  which,  as  will  be  seen,  is  a  bar- 
frame  with  a  thin  piece  of  wood  nailed  to  one  side 
of  it.  This  piece  of  wood  is  long  enough  to  fit 
against  the  sides  of  the  body-box  snug,  but  not 
tight,  and  in  breadth  it  is  equal  to  the  depth  of 
the  frame.  In  order  to  lessen  the  risk  of  crush- 
ing the  bees  when  the  frames  are  moved,  jt  should 
not  reach  the  floor-board,  and  the  bottom  bar 
should  be  taken  off  or  a  hole  bored  in  it  to  permit 
bees  chancing  to  get  between  the  division-board 
and  the  hive  side  to  escape. 

The  frames  are  kept  the  proper  distance  apart 


Fig.  89. — Foot  of  Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees. 

by  means  of  two  racks,  one  of  which  is  shown  in 
Fig.  88.  These  are  not  required  if  they  are  fitted 
with  the  metal  ends  bee  keepers  generally  use  for 
this  purpose ;  but  it  is  not  difficult  to  space  the 
frames  without  the  use  of  either.  A  few  pencil- 
marks  on  the  hive  ends  may  be  used  as  a  guide  to 
accurate  distancing. 

A  stand  for  the  hive  may  be  made  by  cutting 
two  pieces  of  wood  to  the  form  shown  in  Fig.  89 ; 
the  floor-board  of  the  hive  rests  within  the  part 
cut  out  of  the  upper  surface.  Frames  for  hives 
are,  generally  speaking,  best  got  ready-made  from 
dealers  in  bee  keepers'  requisites,  as  they  are 
made  accurately  to  size  by  machinery,  and  are 
sold  at  a  low  price. 


Hive  for  Rearing  Queen  Bees.  95 

In  marking  out  the  timber,  care  should  be  taken 
as  far  as  possible  to  avoid  knots  coming  near  the 
edges  of  the  pieces  or  in  the  roof-board,  and  the 
heart  side  of  the  timber  should  always  be  on  the 
outside  of  the  hive.  If  this  is  not  done,  the  hive 
when  exposed  to  the  weather  is  fairly  certain  to 
open  at  the  joints.  Over  the  roof-top  a  piece  of 
calico,  cut  to  size,  should  be  stretched,  folded 
round  the  edges,  and  secured  by  tacks  underneath. 
A  coat  of  thick  oil  paint  upon  the  calico  will  make 
the  roof  watertight,  and  the  hive  itself  should  also 
receive  a  coat  of  paint.  A  light  colour  is  best,  as 
dark  shades  absorb  the  heat  of  the  sun,  making 
the  hive  intolerably  hot  for  the  bees,  and  perhaps 
melting  their  combs  down  into  a  confused  mass. 


95 


CHAPTER  X. 

SUPER-CLEARER3. 

The  operation  of  removing  the  honey  from  the 
hive  and  ridding  the  hive  of  bees,  although,  until 
quite  recently,  the  one  operation  dreaded  by  bee 
keepers,  can  now  be  performed  with  little  or  no 
disturbance  in  as  many  minutes  as  formerly  the 
operation  required  hours,  and  without  the  inflic- 
tion of  a  single  sting  upon  the  operator  if  ordinary 
care  be  taken.  This  is  effected  by  the  use  of  a 
super-clearer,  an  American  invention. 

The  most  simple  form  of  clearer  is  a  cone  made 
of  perforated  metal,  fixed  in  the  gable,  or  gables, 
of  the  hive  roof,  as  shown  by  Fig.  7,  p.  17.  In 
use  it  is  simplicity  itself.  The  super  to  be  cleared 
is  gently  prised  up,  small  spills  of  wood  (match 
ends  will  do)  inserted  at  the  corners,  and  through 
the  orifice  thus  formed  a  few  puffs  of  smoke  are 
blown  into  the  hive.  After  waiting  a  moment  the 
operator  should  raise  the  super,  whilst  an  assis- 
tant places  a  quilt  over  the  body-box  or  super 
below,  when  the  full  super  may  be  replaced  above 
it ;  the  covering  quilt  of  the  super  is  then  removed 
and  the  roof  put  on.  The  bees,  finding  communi- 
cation with  the  hive  proper  cut  off,  make  tracks 
for  home  through  the  cone,  and  once  out  they 
cannot  return.  Stray  bees  on  the  prowl  (for  bees 
are  inveterate  robbers)  also  fail  to  effect  an 
entrance.  By  reason  of  the  perforations  in  the 
cone,  the  bees  are  attracted  to  its  base,  where 
they  fail  to  gain  admission  ;  and  robbers  can  find 
their  way  inside  only  when  they  are  sufficiently 
numerous  entirely  to  cover  the  cone. 

For  the  reason  last  given,  the  cone  as  a  clearer 


SUPER'CLEARERS.  97 

is  unsuited  for  use  in  late  autumn,  or  at  any  other 
season  when  honey  may  be  scarce ;  but  in  late 
summer,  or  when  nectar  is  still  plentiful,  its  use 
is  advantageous.  If  the  super  is  disconnected 
from  the  hive  in  the  early  morning  it  can  be  left 
to  clear  itself  during  the  day  ;  and  in  the  evening, 
the  honey,  unaccompanied  by  a  single  bee,  can  be 
removed  indoors. 

Some  cones  are  fitted  with  a  delicate  steel 
spring,  which,  whilst  not  impeding  the  egress  of 
confined  bees,  effectually  stops  the  ingress  of  any 
intruder ;    the    cones    are    also    sometimes    used 


Fig.  90. — Porter  Bee  Escape. 

double — one  within  the  other,  J  in.  apart — for  the 
sa«ie  purpose. 

Another  method  of  using  the  cones  is,  instead 
of  entirely  uncovering  the  super  of  honey,  to  re- 
place the  quilt  by  a  board  furnished  with  several 
round  holes,  over  each  of  which  a  cone  is  laid  or 
fixed.  Escaping  bees  have  thus  to  pass  a  double 
trap,  whilst  double  obstacles  are  placed  in  the 
path  of  marauding  bees.  Cones  have  also  been 
tried  the  reverse  way — that  is,  to  make  the  bees 
return  to  the  hive  proper  without  passing  into 
the  open  air — but  have  not  been  much  of  a  suc- 
cess ;  and  practice  has  proved  that  the  slighter 
the  connection  between  the  hive  and  the  super 
to  be  cleared  the  more  quickly  will  it  be  rid  of 


98   Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

bees.  The  ideal  cone  should  be  wide  at  the  base, 
about  3  in.  in  length,  and  have  the  aperture  at 
the  point  large  enough  to  pass  two  bees  simul- 
taneously. 

However,  when  by  the  use  of  the  cone  clearer, 
owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season  or  otherwise, 
robbing  is  likely  to  be  induced,  it  is  safest  not 
to  rely  upon  it  at  all,  but  to  use  a  clearer  that 
affords  the  bees  a  direct  passage  back  into  the 
hive  without  the  possibility  of  return.  This  is 
found  in  the  Porter  bee  escape,  obtainable  for  a 
shilling    of    any    dealer    in    bee    goods.      Fig.  90 


Fig,  91. — Super-clearer  Complete. 

shows  it  with  a  portion  cut  away  to  expose  the 
interior.  It  consists  of  an  oblong  piece  of  thin 
tinplate  A,  in  size  4j  in.  by  1|  in.,  with  a  1-in. 
hole  punched  through  near  one  end.  To  its  un- 
derside is  soldered  a  rectangular  box  b,  2|  in. 
long,  Ij  in.  wide,  and  \  in.  deep,  one  end  of  which 
is  open.  Inside  this  box  a  i_j-shaped  piece  c 
is  fixed,  1  in.  long,  1  in.  wide,  and  \  in  (full)  deep, 
and  the  inner  end  d  is  bent  downwards  to  meet 
the  bottom  of  box  b.  To  the  inner  sides  of  piece 
c  are  soldered  two  fine  springs  E  of  brass  ribbon, 
^^  in.  wide,  which  are  bent  inwards,  as  shown, 
until  they  almost  meet.  To  an  outgoing  bee  these 
springs  offer  little  or  no  resistance ;  to  an  in^oer 


SUPER-CLEARERS.  99 

they  offer  an  impenetrable  barrier.  If  the  bee, 
foiled  at  the  apex  of  the  triangle  formed  by  the 
springs,  tries  to  force  a  passage  by  their  sides, 
the  only  result  is  that  the  springs  are  pressed  the 
closer  together,  so  that  to  gain  an  entrance  is  an 
impossibility. 

With  regard  to  the  use  of  the  super-clearer  on 
a  hive,  it  may  be  said  that  its  size  depends  on 
that  of  the  hive,  and  that  no  definite  measure- 
ments can  be  given  beyond  saying  that  appliance 
dealers  usually  make  it  about  16  in.  square.  Take 
sufficient  dry  pine  or  other  wood,  J  in.  thick,  and 
joint  it  to  the  required  width — preferably  by 
grooving,  as  should  it  shrink  sufficiently  to  allow 
a  bee-space  between  the  joints  its  efficiency  would 
be  lost—and  on  each  side  fix  a  border,  as  shown 
in  Figs.  91  and  92,  of  1-in.  by  |-in.  wood.     In  its 


Fig.  92. — Section  of  Super-clearer. 

exact  centre  cut  a  hole  to  take  the  rectangular 
box  B  of  the  escape,  into  which  hole  it  should  fit 
firmly  without  the  need  of  further  fixing ;  and  in 
order  to  allow  the  bees  to  escape,  the  end  of  the 
hole  at  the  outlet  end  must  be  bevelled  off,  as 
shown  at  h  in  Fig.  92,  which  is  a  section  of  the 
clearer. 

In  use,  the  operation  of  removing  surplus  honey 
is  the  same  as  when  using  the  cone,  with  the 
exception  that  the  clearer,  instead  of  a  quilt,  is 
interposed  between  hive  and  super,  the  quilts 
above  the  super  remaining  intact.  The  object  of 
the  border  round  the  clearer  board  will  now  be 
apparent:  a  bee-space  is  provided  above  and 
below.  The  bees,  finding  themselves  practically 
cut  off  from  below,  will  soon  discover  a  passage- 
way out,  and,  passing  through  the  hole  in  the 
top  of  the  escape,  they  will  be  guided  past  the 


100  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

springs  and  so  into  the  hive  below,  the  stream 
of  bees  only  ceasing  when  all  have  cleared  out. 
When  this  is  the  case,  the  honey  may  be  removed ; 
the  honey  can  be  extracted  from  the  frames  at 
once,  and  the  combs  returned  to  be  refilled,  or 
cleaned  out  ready  for  storing  away.  In  the  formfer 
case  the  clearer  must  be  removed ;  in  the  latter, 
by  fitting  the  board  with  a  little  extra  contriv- 
ance, the  bees  can  be  re-admitted  without  dis- 
turbance ;  and,  when  the  combs  have  been  cleaned 
out  dry,  the  super  can  be  again  cleared  of  bees 
in  readiness  for  its  final  removal. 

Holes  from   1   in.   to   Ij  in.    diameter  ma\-    be 
bored  through  the  clearer-board  in  one  or  more 


SUPER 


Fig".  93. — Clearer  in  Use  between  Hive  and  Super. 

corners,  as  shown  in  Fig.  91,  and  covered  with 
slides  of  tinplate  or  sheet  zinc,  as  guides  for  the 
working  of  which  tacks  or  small  nails  will  sufiice. 
In  ordinary  use  the  holes  are  closed  by  the  slides ; 
but  when  the  dripping  combs  are  returned  from 
the  extractor,  and  all  is  covered  up  snug,  the 
slides  may  be  withdrawn,  allowing  the  bees  free 
entrance,  an  invitation  they  will  not  be  slow  in 
accepting ;  and  if  the  combs  are  returned  in  the 
evening,  the  slides  may  be  again  closed  next 
morning,  when  the  bees  will  again  pass  below 
through  the  escape,  permitting  the  now  dry  combs 
to  be  removed  later. 

In  cases  where  hives  are  made  perfectly  square 
to  permit  the  combs  to  be  hung  at  right  angles  to. 


SUPER'CLEARERS.  loi 

or  parallel  with,  the  entrance,  and  the  frames  of 
successive  bodies  or  supers  to  be  placed  at  right 
angles  to  those  immediately  below,  the  clearer 
board  may  be  the  same  size  as  the  outside 
measurement  of  the  hive,  and  may  be  provided 
with  a  plinth  (see  Fig.  93)  to  keep  it  in  place 
during  the  period  of  its  use  and  so  prevent  undue 
loss  of  heat.  In  Fig.  93,  the  hive  walls  are  shown 
in  full  black  lines,  the  super-clearer  being  hatched. 
The  method  adopted  by  a  well-known  honey 
producer  for  removing  supers  may  be  given  with 
advantage,  as  by  its  adoption  smoke — which  does 
not  improve  the  flavour  of  honey  if  applied  too 
freely — is  unnecessary.  Dip  a  square  of  un- 
bleached calico  into  diluted  carbolic  acid  (1  oz. 
to  a  pint  of  water),  wring  it  out  as  dry  as  possible, 
and  place  the  clearer  on  a  stand  by  the  hive. 
Gently  prise  up  the  super  as  before  described, 
and,  shaking  out  the  carbolised  cloth,  hold  it  in 
the  hands  whilst  removing  the  crate  of  honey, 
and  by  the  same  movement  drop  it  over  the  frames 
beneath,  which  will  cause  every  bee  to  disappear 
rapidly.  Place  the  super  on  the  clearer,  quickly 
remove  the  cloth,  and  put  clearer  and  super  on 
the  hive,  to  be  left  until  clear  of  bees.  The  same 
operation  can  be  gone  through  when  taking  the 
clearer  off,  but  on  no  account  must  the  carbolised 
cloth  remain  near  honey  for  any  length  of  time, 
or  the  flavour  of  the  honey  will  be  spoiled.  - 


16^ 


CHAPTER  XL 

BEE     SMOKERS. 

This  chapter  will  describe  how  to  make  two  kinds 
of  smokers — the  Bingham  and  the  Clarke.  A 
Bingham  smoker  can  be  made  at  a  cost  not  ex- 
ceeding one  shilling  if  the  worker  can  use  tin- 
smiths' tools.  These  include  snips  for  cutting  the 
thin  tinplate ;  a  hatchet  stake  for  turning  over  the 
metal  for  wiring  edges  or  making  joints ;  a  large 
soldering  bit ;  mallets  and  hammers ;  punches ; 
and  odd  pieces  of  iron. 

A  hatchet-stake  may  be  improvised  from  a 
2  ft.  length  of  so-called  half-round  iron,  1|  in. 
wide,  and  |  in.  thick.  The  edges  are  smoothed 
with  a  file,  and  the  iron  is  supported  in  a  vice. 

As  to  materials  for  the  construction  of  the 
smoker,  get  a  piece  of  best  quality  tinplate,  12  in. 
by  18  in.,  wood,  leather,  a  small  bit  of  i  in.  brass 
tube,  and  about  3  ft.  of  hard  brass  wire  16  gauge. 

Fig.  94  is  a  general  view  of  the  smoker  com- 
plete. It  consists  of  fire  tube,  T  ;  funnel,  f  ;  hand- 
guard,  G ;  strip  to  secure  tube  to  bellows,  H ;  and 
bellows,  B.  The  fire  tube  is  2j  in.  in  diameter  and 
6i  in.  long.  The  piece  of  tinplate  should  be  cut 
accurately  square,  8|  in.  by  6|  in.  The  two  short 
edges  are  then  turned  over  a  little  more  than 
^  in.  from  the  edges,  one  being  turned  up  and  the 
other  down.  The  piece  of  tin  is  bent  into  a 
cylinder,  and  the  bent  edges  hooked  into  one 
another  and  hammered  down  tight,  using  a  piece 
of  thick  round  iron  or  steel  as  a  stake  on  which 
to  hammer.  Run  a  little  solder  along  the  joint 
to  strengthen  it. 

When  the  cylinder  has  been  made  fairly  circu- 
lar, it  will  be  found  to  be  2^  in.  in  diameter. 


Bee  Smokers,  103 

Both  ends  of  this  cylinder  ought  now  to  be 
quite  flat ;  but  if  they  are  not,  the  file  should  be 
used  until  they  are  made  so  ;  J  in.  at  one  end 
must  now  be  turned  out  all  round  at  right  angles 
to  the  body  of  the  cylinder,  and  this  can  easily 
be  done  with  the  good  tin  being  used  by  means 
of  a  hammer  and  the  stake,  or  the  sharp  edge 
of  a  cast-iron  lathe  bed,  which  is  more  solid.  The 
cylinder  will  thus  be  reduced  to  its  final  length, 
6j  in.  Within  |  in.  of  the  flanged  end,  a  i  in. 
hole  is  punched  through  the  tin. 

This  hole  is  to  be  coned  inwards,  as  shown  in 


Fig.  94. — Bingham  Bee  Smoker. 

Fig.  95,  the  object  being  to  direct  any  of  the  blast 
which  might  impinge  upon  the  sides  of  the  hole 
inwards  into  the  smoker,  rather  than  between  the 
fire-box  and  guard.  The  cone  can  be  shaped  with 
the  pane  of  a  light  hammer. 

The  end  or  bottom  e  (Fig.  95)  is  of  tinplate,  its 
radius  being  just  1^  in.,  J  in.  of  the  edge  being 
turned  up  all  round,  like  a  cover  of  a  canister ; 
the  flanged  edge  of  the  cylinder  is  laid  in  it,  and 
the  edges  turned  in  to  embrace  the  flange  and 
keep  all  tight,  as  shown  at  E  (Fig.  95).  The  edge 
of  the  bottom  can  be  turned  up  on  the  end  of  a 
piece  of  thick  round  iron. 

The  funnel  may  next  be  made,  its  pattern  being 


104  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

shown  by  Fig.  96.  The  arcs  of  circles  should  be 
scribed  on  the  sheet  of  tinplate,  the  inner  being 
If  in.,  and  the  outer  Gj  in.  in  radius;  measure  off 


^^f^\ 


8|  in.  on  the  circumference  of  the  outer  arc,  and 
draw  lines  to  the  centre ;  the  piece  may  then  be 
cut  out,  turned  up '  and  down  at  the  edges,  and 
connected  in  the  same  way  as  the  body  tube.     Do 


Bee  Smokers, 


165 


not,  however,  turn  down  quite  so  much  at  the 
edges  so  as  to  make  the  large  end  of  the  funnel 
big  enough  to  embrace  the  tube  t  (Fig.  94  and  95). 
The  end  of  the  funnel  should  be  hammered,  so  as 
to  make  about  \  in.  of  its  wide  end  parallel  to  fit 
on  the  cylindrical  body.  The  body  of  T  could  be 
tapered  very  slightly  to  assist  the  putting  on  of 
the  cone. 


Fi^,  96.— Pattern  of  Funnel. 

The  piece  m  is  a  sort  of  additional  support  to 
the  barrel.  It  is  simply  a  piece  of  tinplate  1^  in. 
square,  having  two  edges  turned  down  and 
hammered  flat,  making  it  \  in.  wide.  It  is  then 
bent  at  right  angles,  having  one  leg  |  in.  long, 
and  the  other  \  in.  long.  It  is  attached  to  the 
hand-guard  and  support  H  by  the  short  leg,  while 
the  long  one  is  hollowed  out  to  fit  the  curve  of  the 
body   of   the   blower. 

The  hand-guard  is  a  piece  of  tinplate,  No.  16 


io6  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

B.W.S.,  65  in.  by  4|  in.  wired  all  round  with  thin 
wire.  The  wiring  is  easily  done  by  first  cutting 
small  pieces  off  the  corners  of  the  tin,  then  turn- 
ing up  the  edges  all  round,  laying  the  wire  in  the 
edges,  and  then  hammering  down  so  as  completely 
to  cover  the  wire,  and  leave  a  nicely  formed  bead. 
The  hand-guard  is  bent  to  a  semicircle. 

The  support  is  made  of  a  strip  of  tinplate 
7^  in.  long  and  If  in.  wide.  Lines  must  be  scribed 
on  one  surface  |  in.  from  each  edge,  thus  marking 
it  into  three  parts,  the  centre  one  being  \  in.  wide. 
At  1|  in.  from  one  end,  and  at  \\  in.  from  the 
other,  nick  the  sides  into  the  lines,  and  turn  over 


Fig.  97. — Smoker  Diaphragm. 

the  edges  of  the  end  pieces,  thus  doubling  the  tin 
at  the  ends  and  making  them  only  \  in.  wide.  The 
centre  must  also  have  its  edges  turned  up,  but 
only  at  right  angles,  to  the  middle  part,  thus 
making  a  sort  of  trough  which  will  fit  on  the 
piece  of  wood  s  (Fig.  95)  nailed  to  the  bellows  board. 
The  ends  of  this  piece  of  tinplate  are  now  turned 
up  in  the  opposite  direction  to  the  trough,  the 
short  one  at  right  angles,  and  the  longer  one  at 
an  angle  of  135^  with  the  middle  part.  This  last 
end  is  to  be  bent  agaiii,  a  little  more  than  1  in. 
from  the  first  bend,  so  as  to  lie  parallel  to  the 
centre  part. 

For  riveting  these  parts  together,  obtain  four 
rivets  i  in.  thick  and  \  in.  long.     One  rivet  con- 


Bee  Smokers,  107 

nects  the  support  h,  the  hand-guard  G,  and  the 
little  piece  m,  all  together  towards  the  front,  while 
another  l\  in.  from  the  back  holds  H  and  G  to- 
gether. A  f  in.  hole  should  now  be  made  in  H 
and  G  i  in.  from  the  back,  and  the  whole  may  be 
attached  to  the  barrel  with  the  two  rivets  shown. 
The  rivet  holes  are  punched.  The  top  of  m  should 
be  filed  hollow  to  fit  the  curve  of  the  barrel,  the 
front  part  of  h  being  hammered  to  a  similar  curve. 
The  diaphragm  d  (Fig.  95)  is  of  sheet  iron,  and 
the  legs  are  sometimes  riveted  on,  but  it  is  easier 
to  cut  it  out  of  the  iron  in  one  piece  as  in  Fig.  97. 
It  should  be  punched  with  J  in.  holes.  The 
diameter  is  just  a  little  less  than  2\  in.,  and  the 
legs  are  1  in.  long ;  they  are  turned  up  at  right 


<--y. 


^r?^/* 


3 


Fig.  98.— Coned  Blast  Fig.  99.— Nicked  Tube  for 

Pipe.  Making  Blast  Pipe. 

angles  to  the  body.  The  leg  L  (Fig.  95)  is  riveted 
on. 

The  only  difficulty  likely  to  be  experienced  in 
the  coned  blast  pipe  p  (see  also  Fig  98)  is  the 
coning  of  the  mouth  to  |  in.  This,  however,  is 
easy  after  cutting  two  nicks  in  the  piece  of  \  in. 
tubing  as  in  Fig.  99.  Anneal  the  brass  by  heating 
it  in  the  fire,  and  when  cool,  the  point  can  be 
hammered  cone-shape  without  much  trouble.  A 
touch  of  solder  will  mend  the  cut  afterwards.  This 
is  not  a  professional  method,  but  is  quite  good 
enough  for  the  present  purpose. 

The  piece  of  wood  s  (Fig.  95)  bears  the  whole 
weight  of  the  tin  portion.  Oak  will  be  found  the 
best  material  ;  and  suitable  dimensions  are  4|  in. 
by  J  in.  by  ^  in.  At  j  in.  from  one  end  make  a 
J  in.  hole  to  take  the  blast-pipe ;  the  upper  edges 


io8  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

are  to  be  bevelled  off  and  hollows  cut  to  take  the 
heads  of  the  rivets  in  H  (Fig.  95). 

The  boards  of  the  bellows  can  be  made  of  any 
tough  and  thoroughly  seasoned  wood.  Two  pieces 
for  the  cheeks  of  the  bellows  are  5  in.  by  h\  in., 
two  other  pieces  x  (Fig.  95)  are  4j  in.  by  \  in., 
\  in.  thick  at  the  back  and  rather  more  at  the 
front,  so  that  when  the  backs  of  the  two  boards 
are  brought  together  the  front  joint  will  not 
open.  The  piece  y  is  |  in.  square  and  2^  in.  long, 
and  another  piece  is  -^-^  in.  square  and  3j  in.  long. 
The  wood  piece  for  the  valve  is  2  in.  square  and 
\  in.  or  so  thick.  When  all  the  pieces  have  been 
nicely  planed  and  rubbed  on  a  sheet  of  glasspaper, 
bore  a  hole  for  the  valve  in  one  bellows  board 
and  one  at  w  for  the  blast  pipe  in  the  other.  The 
latter  is  |  in.  in  diameter,  and  |  in.  from  the  back 
end  of  the  board ;  the  former  is  \\  in.  in  diameter, 
and  its  centre  is  2  in.  from  the  back  end  of  the 
board.  The  burrs  which  may  have  been  formed 
in  the  boring  of  these  holes  should  be  carefully 
glasspapered  off.  The  pieces  x  should  then  be 
glued  and  tacked  across  the  front  edges  of  the 
boards,  and  the  piece  Y  similarly  fixed  on  the 
lower  one,  |  in.  behind  x,  its  ends  being  equidis- 
tant from  the  edges  of  the  board. 

The  springs  (Fig.  100)  must  next  be  made ;  each 
is  a  piece  of  wire  bent  into  two  parts,  and  as 
there  are  two  springs  there  will  be,  in  effect,  four 
wires  pushing  the  boards  apart.  To  make  the 
springs,  drive  a  couple  of  wire  nails  -^-^  in.  thick 
into  a  piece  of  wood  6  in.  apart.  Cut  the  16  gauge 
wire  14^  in.  long  and  straighten  it,  place  it  against 
the  wire  nails  with  the  ends  projecting  equally  at 
both  sides,  and  turn  the  ends  round  the  nails,  one 
to  the  right  and  the  other  to  the  left.  Give  two 
and  a  quarter  turns  to  each  end,  which  will  leave 
them  at  right  angles  to  the  middle  part  as  in  Fig. 
101.  Then  bend  the  middle  part  at  m  into  a  curve 
so  as  to  bring  the  coils  together  and  the  loose  ends 


Bee  Smokers. 


109 


lying  side  by  side.  Then  with  pliers  turn  down  the 
points  to  prevent  them  from  sticking  in  the  boards, 
and  give  a  little  bend  just  near  the  coil  (see  Fig. 
100).  The  ends  of  the  piece  of  wood  which  have 
been  prepared,  -^^  in.  square  and  3j  in.  long,  are 
rounded  and  passed  through  the  coils  of  the 
springs,  and  a  little  bit  of  thin  wire  ties  them 
together  to  prevent  their  slipping  off.  This  axle, 
as  it  may  be  called,  of  the  springs  is  then  placed 
between  the  pieces  x  and  Y  (Fig.  95),  and  the 
lower  board  then  resembles  Fig.  102,  this  illustrat- 


P" 


Fiof.  100.— Spring. 


tVI 


Fig.  101.— Wire  for 

Making  Spring. 


Q. 


ing  the  bottom  board  of  the  bellows  with  springs 
in  place. 

The  valve  is  a  piece  of  leather  3  in.  by  2  in., 
to  which  the  2  in.  square  piece  of  wood  is  secured 
at  one  end  by  a  tack  passing  through  near  its 
centre.  If  it  were  glued  to  the  wood,  and  the 
latter  warped,  the  valve  would  not  close.  Three 
edges  of  the  wood  valve  will  coincide  with  three 
of  the  leather,  and  an  inch  of  the  leather  will  pro- 
ject beyond  the  wood.  By  means  of  this  tongue 
the  valve  is  secured  to  the  board  with  two  tacks. 
A   light   spring   (shown   in   Fig.    95)   presses   very 


no  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

gently  on  the  back  of  the  valve  to  prevent  it  from 
opening  except  under  suction.  This  spring  can 
best  be  made  of  a  bit  of  watch-spring,  but  a  bit 
of  thin  hard  brass  wire  does  almost  as  well ;  a 
tack  passing  through  a  hole  in  the  watch-spring, 
or  a  loop  turned  on  the  end  of  the  wire,  will  fasten 
it  to  the  bellows  board.  It  would  be  well  to  put 
a  narrow  strip  of  leather  over  the  valve  and  fasten 
its  ends  down  with  two  tacks,  allowing  the  valve 
only   about   \   in.    rise.     This   is   to   prevent   mis- 


Fig.  102.— Bottom  Board  of  Bellows. 

chievous  persons  thrusting  odd  articles  into  the 
bellows. 

The  hinge  may  now  be  tacked  along  the  front 
edges,  of  the  boards  and  of  the  pieces  x  (Figt  95). 
It  is  a  strip  of  leather  5  in.  by  \\  in.,  and  should 
be  glued  as  well  as  tacked.  The  springs  may  be 
put  in  place,  and  the  outer  edges  of  the  bellows 
boards  held  2|  in.  apart  while  the  leather  is  being 
glued  on.  The  edges  of  the  boards  are  rubbed 
over  with  strong  glue,  and  the  leather  laid  on 
and  secured  with  short  tacks  1  in.  apart.  The 
edges  may  afterwards  be  cut  flush  with  the  outside 
of  the  bellows  boards. 


Bee  Smokers, 


III 


As  a  general  guide  in  procuring  the  leather 
it  may  be  said  that  a  strip  18  in.  long,  tapering 
from  3j  in.  in  the  middle  to  \\  in.  at  the  ends, 
does  for  the  three  sides,  an  inch  being  left  at  each 
end  to  overlap  the  hinge.  When  the  leather  has 
been  put  on,  the  bellows  ought  to  be  able  to  work 
nicely ;  but,  for  the  sake  of  appearance,  it  is 
customary  to  put  a  narrow  strip   of  red  leather 


Fig-.  103.— Clarke  Smoker.     Fig.  10 4. —Section  of 
Clarke  Smoker. 

all  round  the  edges  of  the  boards,  and  to  secure 
it  with  small  brass  tacks. 

Before  the  bellows  are  put  together  it  will  be 
much  better  to  fasten  to  the  upper  board  the 
piece  s  with  glue  and  a  couple  of  screws  from  the 
inside,  the  blast  holes  in  both  bellows  and  sup- 
port being  over  one  another.  A  piece  of  wire- 
gauze  w  (Fig.  95)  should  be  put  between  the  two, 
govering  the  blast  hole  in  such  a  way  as  to  pre- 


112  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

vent  ash  or  cinder  from  the  smoker  finding  its 
way  into  the  bellows.  The  contracted  piece  of 
brass  pipe  can  now  be  pushed  into  place,  and  the 
body  of  the  smoker  fastened  to  s  with  the  piece  of 
tinplate  h,  which  has  its  edges  turned  down  so  as 
to  embrace  it ;  four  little  screws  or  tacks  will  hold 
it  on  very  firmly. 

The  smoker  is  now  finished  and  ready  for  the 
fuel,  which  can  be  brown  paper,  sacking,  or  any- 
thing that  will  smoulder.  It  should  be  inserted 
in  such  a  way  as  to  afford  passages  for  the  air 
through  it.  If  it  is  packed  tightly  the  smoke  can- 
not be  expected  to  travel  through  the  entire  length 
of  the  barrel. 

The  form  of  spring  used  in  the  real  Bingham 
smoker  entails  a  good  deal  of  unnecessary  labour, 
and  probably  a  spiral  spring  of  the  proper  strength 
could  be  substituted.  Then  the  front  edges  of  the 
bellows  boards  could  be  brought  together,  and  the 
four  pieces  of  wood  there  found  could  be  dispensed 
with. 

The  Clarke  smoker  is  simpler  than  the  Bing- 
ham, but  hardly  so  efficient.  Fig.  103  shows  it  in 
general  view,  and  Fig.  104  is  a  sectional  view. 
The  bellows  boards  are  4^  in.  by  6|  in.,  and  nearly 
\  in.  thick.  A  1-in.  hole  is  made  through  one 
board,  its  centre  being  2j  in.  from  one  end  of 
the  board,  and  midway  across  it.  This  is  for  the 
valve,  which  is  simply  a  piece  of  stout  leather 
nailed  on  one  side  and  free  to  rise  on  the  other, 
after  the  manner  of  a  butterfly  valve.  At  a  dis- 
tance of  If  in.  from  the  opposite  end  of  the  other 
board,  a  J-in.  hole  is  bored,  sloping  from  the  front 
as  shown  in  Fig.  104.  This  is  to  take  the  blast 
pipe.  The  boards  are  kept  apart  by  a  strong  steel 
spiral  spring,  which  is  placed  at  the  side  of  the 
valve,  and  more  towards  the  back,  just  where  the 
pressure  of  the  hand  goes.  The  boards  at  their 
widest  part  are  3  in.  apart,  and  at  the  narrowest, 
1  in. 


Bee  Smokers, 


"3 


The  entire  bellows  of  the  Clarke  smoker  could 
easily  be  made  by  cutting  out  and  planing  the 
boards,  boring  the  holes,  and  tacking  on  the  valve  ; 
then  the  points  could  be  brought  together,  and  a 
slip  of  leather,  4  in.  long  and  1  in.  wide,  tacked 
along  them.  The  spiral  spring,  which  could  be 
made  of  hard  brass  wire.  No.  18,  B.w.G.,  could 
then  be  put  in  place,  being  fixed  to  the  boards, 
either  with  a  straight  piece  of  wire  left  at  both 
ends  of  the  spring,  or  the  ends  of  the  spring  could 

^__^ 14%- — >,_ 

— ?r 


Fig.  105.— Pattern  of  Funnel. 

fit  into  holes  bored  partly  through  the  boards.  A 
bit  of  wire  could  then  be  bent  so  as  to  keep  the 
boards  3  in.  apart  at  the  wide  end  while  the 
leather  was  being  glued  and  tacked  on.  The 
leather  should  overlap  the  piece  already  tacked  to 
the  front  by  about  an  inch.  Basil  leather  will 
answer  if  better  is  difiicult  to  obtain. 

The  fire  box  of  the  Clarke  smoker  should  be 
made  of  stout  tinplate.  Its  pattern  is  shown  by 
Fig.  105.  The  circles  there  shown  should  be  care- 
fully scribed  with  a  compass  on  the  sheet  of  tin- 


114  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances* 

plate,  and  then  cut  out  with  a  pair  of  snips.  The 
straight  edges  should  be  turned  over  for  \  in.,  one 
up  and  the  other  down,  and  the  piece  bent  into 
the  shape  of  a  funnel.  The  parts  turned  over  will 
then  catch  into  one  another,  and  should  have  a 
little  solder  run  along  them  after  they  have  been 
hammered  tightly  together.  The  wide  end  of  the 
funnel,  for  the  distance  of  J  in.,  is  now  to  be 
turned  straight  out  so  as  to  take  the  bottom  (Fig. 
106),  which  is  attached  to  it  just  as  a  tinman  fines 
a  bottom  to  a  can,  except  that  after  it  is  turned 
over  once  it  is  left  standing  out  from  the  funnel, 
as  seen  in  Fig.  104. 

Before  the  bottom  is  fastened,  it  would  be  as 


^^s:^^^;^:^^  Figf.  107. — Diaphragm 

_  of  Clarke  Smoker. 

Fig.  106.— Bottom  of  Funnel. 

well  to  make  the  tinplate  diaphragm  (Fig.  107)  and 
fix  it  to  the  funnel.  It  is  2|  in.  in  diameter,  and 
is  punched  with  a  number  of  J  in.  holes.  In  bought 
smokers  it  is  fitted  in  a  kind  of  bead  moulded  on 
the  funnel ;  but  in  the  present  case  three  or  four 
projecting  tongues  are  left,  and  these  are  turned 
over  and  fastened  to  the  funnel  wdth  small  rivets. 
The  bottom  with  its  fire  door  cut  out  is  shown 
by  Fig.  106.  The  outer  dotted  line  in  this  figure 
shows  the  part  which  will  be  turned  over  to  em- 
brace the  funnel  end.  The  door  is  a  piece  of  tin- 
plate  large  enough  to  cover  the  hole  and  to  pivot 
on  the  rivet  shown  in  Fig.  103.  Its  edges  are 
turned  over  so  as  not  to  cut  or  scratch  the  hand 
of  the  operator. 


Bee  Smokers,  rig 

The  tinplate  blast  pipe  is  4^  in.  long,  its  bore 
tapering  from  |  in.  to  slightly  more  than  \  in.  The 
pipe  is  bent  into  the  shape  shown  by  Fig.  104,  and 
extends  to  within  |  in.  of  the  front  of  the  fire 
holder.  The  whole  of  the  sheet  metal  work  is 
attached  to  the  bellows  w^ith  two  screws,  holes  for 
which,  2|  in.  apart,  must  be  punched  within  |  in. 
of  the  base  of  the  funnel.  The  blast  pipe  is 
hooked  into  the  hole  in  the  bellows  made  for  its 
reception,  and  the  screws  are  put  in  at  the  back, 
a  couple  of  bits  of  tinplate  tubing,  1  in.  long, 
through  which  the  screws  pass,  preventing  the 
bellows  and  fire  box  coming  in  contact  with  each 
other. 


Il6 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HONEY    EXTRACTORS. 

The  first  of  the.  extractors  to  be  described  in  this 
chapter  is  of  the  Little  Wonder  pattern ;  it  is 
useful  to  a  bee  keeper  with  two  or  three  hives, 
but  is  unsuitable  for  a  larger  apiary,  as  only  one 
comb  at  a  time  can  be  operated  on.  It  is  difficult 
to  use,  and  if  the  honey  is  thick  from  natural 
causes  or  through  cold  weather  the  extractor  can- 
not be  made  to  revolve  at  a  sufficiently  high  speed 
to  clear  the  combs.  Where  a  number  of  hives  are 
worked  for  extracted  honey,  a  geared  cylinder  ex- 
tractor (described  later  in  this  chapter)  is  neces- 
sary. 

To  make  the  extractor  (of  which  Fig.  108  is  a 
side  view  showing  tKe  handle  raised)  a  piece  of 
clean,  straight-grained  red  deal,  3  ft.  10  in.  long 
by  If  in.  square,  is  required.  From  one  end  cut 
off  7  in.,  and,  beginning  at  about  6  in.  from  both 
ends,  chamfer  down  to  circles  Ij  in.  in  diameter, 
and  fix  ferrules  about  1  in.  long  as  shown  at  a 
(Fig.  108).  Then  insert  two  pieces  of  |-in.  round 
iron,  one  10  in.  long  and  the  other  4  in.  long,  for 
about  3  in.  into  the  ends ;  the  long  piece  should 
be  at  the  top,  and  the  short  piece  at  the  bottom. 
Take  the  7-in.  piece  of  wood,  centre  the  ends,  and 
bore  a  |-in.  hole  through  from  end  to  end  and 
round  the  wood  to  Ij  in.  in  diameter  as  shown  at 
B  (Fig.  108).  Next  bend  two  pieces  of  1-in.  by 
J-in.  hoop  iron  about  2  ft.  9  in.  long  to  the  shape 
shown  in  Fig.  109.  It  will  be  well  to  make  a 
rough  template  of  the  shape,  and,  if  the  iron  is 
fairly  good,  the  bending  can  be  done  with  a  hand 
vice  after  heating   the   metal  in   the  fire.     Place 


Honey  Extractors. 

these  irons  at  c  (Fig.  108),  the  method 
of  fastening  them  being  shown  in 
Fig.  109. 

For  the  can  a  piece  of  tinplate, 
1  ft.  9i  in.  long  by  1  ft.  3j  in.  wide, 
will  be  required  to  form  the  back ; 
the  template  used  for  bending  the 
irons  may  be  reduced  J  in.  and  used 
in  shaping  the  tin  as  shown  by  Fig. 
110.  Four  cleats  A  (Figs.  110  and 
111)  about  6  in.  long,  and  two  smaller 
ones  B  (Figs.  Ill  and  112),  of  stout 
tin,  are  soldered  to  the  sides  to  hold 
the  cage  in  position.  Two 
pieces  of  tinplate,  cut  to 
the  shape  shown  by  Fig. 
113,  and  allowing  a  |-in. 
margin  round  the  outer 
edge  for  the  joints,  are 
required  for  the  top  and 
bottom ;  the  semicircular 
hole  A  (Fig.  113)  is  re- 
quired in  the  top  piece 
only.  These  pieces  can 
be  fixed  to  the  back,  and 
the  joints  folded  and  sold- 
ered. A  piece  of  tinplate 
9i  in.  by  3|  in.  is  required 
for  the  front  c  (Fig.  112) ; 
the  joints  are  turned  over 
and  soldered  at  the  bot- 
tom and  sides. 

The  front  and  bottom 
may  be  worked  in  one 
piece  by  making  the  bot- 
tom 7  in.  wide  instead  of 
4  in.  as  in  Fig.  113.  The 
opening  in  the  front 
should  be  strengthened  Ym.  108. 
with   No.    11   B.W.G.    wire  Honey 


T, 


117 


f 
n 


—Little  Wonder 
Extractor. 


ii8  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 


run  round,  the  tinplate  being  turned  over  it  as  at 
c  (Figs.  110  and  111). 

To  complete  the  can,  cleats  to  hold  it  in  posi- 


Fig.  109 


Fig.  109.— Section  of 
Little  Wonder  Ex- 
tractor. Fig.  110. 
—Section  of  Can 
and  Cage. 


tion  when  dropped  into  the  frame  are  fixed  at  d 
(Figs.  108  and  112),  and  a  lip  is  soldered  to  the  top 
for  pouring  out  the  honey.     Good  stout  tinplate 


c 

A 

^ 

liilll 

f 

A 

i 

■ 

li  ■! 

I'ii 

!,  "\\\ 

\!li'l 

t   l" 

31           ^ 

,  '■■■ 

"  ■  1 

/,M 

A 

!    \\ 

;1  1  f  I 

y  1,1 

u^ 

Fig.  11 

1. 

Honey  Extractors, 


119 


« 

1  -'::<>:rr<^:::^^::zrL^ 

I 

> 

( 
/( 

If 

N3 

0/ 

\\ 

\\ 

'  J 

j  j 

J 

,1 

li 

, 

j 

( 

1 

' 

■ 

u     -               +- 

-, 

. 

'1             "'S' 

1           .    •-. 

1                                   4- 

' 

8l--=^~* 

i                                    I- 

1 

// 

f 

'               .     X-. 

\        i--- 

/ 

I 

i     it 

\          +" 

' 

Hi 

fl                      -     -\ 

1  '  _ ,,. ,.  ... 

1 

/q 

^g?: 

1 

(: 

..I 

''b 

C      V 

't-- 

Fig.  112. 

Fi^s.  Ill  and  112.— Section  and  Front  View  Qf  Little 
Wonder  Can  and  Cage, 


120  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

should   be    used    in    making    the    can,    or    it   will 
collapse  when  a  heavy  comb  is  being  extracted. 

To  hold  the  cage  in  position  when  the  combs 
are  in,  a  wire  is  placed  across  the  front  at  e  (Fig. 
112) ;  one  end  is  fastened  with  a  small  wire  staple 
soldered  to  the  cage,  and  the  other  with  a  catch 
of  double  tin  or  wire. 


Fig.  113.— Pattern  for  Top  and  Bottom  of  Extractor. 

The  cage  is  of  Ij-in.  by  J-in.  oak  or  beech  of  the 
dimensions  given  in  Figs.  108  to  112.  The  joints 
at  the  top  may  be  dovetailed,  and  at  the  bottom, 
mortise-and-tenon  joints  may  be  used.  A  gauge 
line  is  run  round  the  inside  of  the  frame  \  in. 
from  the  bottom  edge,  and  holes  about  |  in  apart 
are  bored  with  a  fine  bradawl.  The  holes  in  the 
sides  should  commence  about  1|  in.  from  the  ends, 
and  a  space  of  |  in.  should  be  left  at  each  side 


Honey  Extractors. 


121 


to  allow  the  metal  ends  of  the  frames  to  pass 
through  and  bring  the  combs  close  to  the  wire  of 
the  cage.  The  holes  should  be  bored  at  an  angle 
as  shown  at  A  (Fig.  114)  so  as  to  strengthen  the 
cage.  No.  20  b.w.g.  tinned  wire  should  be 
threaded  through  the  holes  as  shown  in  Figs.  112 
and  114,  the  long  wires  being  put  in  first  and  the 
cross  wires  interlaced  with  them.  Galvanised  net- 
ting is  sometimes  used  for  the  cage,  but  this  is 
objectionable,  as  zinc  should  never  be  allowed  to 
come  in  contact  with  honey.  Suitable  wire  can  be 
obtained  from  makers  of  b€e  keeping  appliances. 
Wooden  cleats  are  glued  and  nailed  at  each  of 


Fig.  114.— Corner  of  Cage  of  Little  Wonder  Extractor 

the  corners  to  keep  the  ends  of  the  frames  in  posi- 
tion when  extracting ;  the  forms  and  positions  of 
these  are  shown  in  Figs.  112  and  114. 

An  iron  plate  3  in.  square  by  |  in.,  with  a  J-in. 
sinking  in  the  centre,  should  be  screwed  at  the 
corners  to  the  floor  of  the  room  where  the  ex- 
tractor is  being  used.  The  spike  at  the  bottom 
of  the  extractor  will  work  freely  in  the  plate,  and 
will  prevent  the  spike  slipping. 

The  same  principle  governs  the  action  of  the 
Little  Wonder  and  cylinder  extractors,  the  honey 
leaving  the  cells  of  the  comb  by  centrifugal  force, 
but,  while  in  the  Little  Wonder  the  entire  machine 
revolves,  carrying  comb,  receptacle  for  honey,  and 


122  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances 

any  honey  which  has  already  been  extracted,  in 
the  cylinder  extractor  as  few  parts  as  possible  are 
made  to  revolve,  and  this  is  a  decided  advantage. 
The  labour  necessary  to  overcome  the  inertia  of 
a  large  mass  of  material  in  starting  and  stopping 
is  saved,  and  the  decreasing  weight  of  the  comb, 
which  is  perceptible  when  it  and  its  connections 
only  are  revolved,  is  an  indication  to  the  operator 
that  the  honey  has  been  extracted. 

For  a  given  velocity,  the  nearer  the  comb  is  to 
the  centre  of  revolution  the  greater  will  be  the 


Fig.  116.— Cylinder  Extractor 
with  Frame  Inside. 

Fig".  115. — Cylinder  Honey 
Extractor. 

centrifugal  force,  but  the  honey  in  most  of  the 
cells  will  tend  to  press  against  their  sides  as  well 
as  leave  them.  To  overcome  this  tendency  the 
combs  should  be  placed  at  an  infinite  distance 
from  the  centre  of  revolution.  It  is  evident  that 
practice  more  than  theory  is  what  will  decide  the 
best  position  for  the  combs,  and  from  exhaustive 
experiments,  Mr.  Cowan  has  concluded  that  the 
outer  surface  of  the  comb  should,  during  extrac- 
tion, be  placed  6  in.  from  the  centre  of  the  spindle 
round  which  it  revolves.  He  has  also  decided  that 
extractors  which  hold  two  combs  at  the  time  are 
preferable  to  those  which  hold  four  or  more. 


Honey  Extractors,  123 

The  cylinder  extractor,  then,  consists  of  four 
distinct  features :  (1)  the  frame  which  holds  and 
carries  the  comb  baskets,  (2)  the  comb  baskets, 
(3)  the  cylinder,  or  barrel  in  which  they  revolve, 
and  (4)  the  driving  gear,  or  crank.  Fig.  115  is 
a  general  view  of  the  extractor ;  Fig.  116  shows 
the  extractor  complete  with  the  frame  inside,  the 
baskets  being  in  place  ;  and  Fig.  117  shows  the 
frames,  baskets,  and  crank  handle. 

For  the  frame  forming  the  first  item  in  the  list, 
three  sheets  of  tinplate,  17  in.  by  12j  in.,  are  re- 
quired. One  of  the  sheets  is  cut  into  six  strips 
2  in.  wide.  The  edges  of  tinplates  are  not  always 
true  when  they  come  from  the  shop,  and  should 


Fig.  118.— Wired  Tinplate. 


Fig".  117. — Frames,  Baskets,  etc. 

therefore  be  pared  until  straight.  Three  strips 
should  be  joined  together  end  to  end,  by  turning 
i  in.  at  the  ends  over,  hooking  together,  hammer- 
ing down  flat,  and  touching  with  solder,  as  before 
described.  These  strips  may  now  be  cut  to  45  in. 
in  length  each,  and  wired  at  both  edges  with  wire 
about  \  in.  in  diameter,  about  No.  10  gauge. 
The  wires  are  to  be  44  in.  long  each. 

The  wiring  is  effected  by  turning  the  edges  of 
the  tinplate  over  for  a  distance  of  nearly  \  in. 
by  means  of  a  mallet  and  the  stake ;  the  wire  is 
then  laid  along  the  trough  thus  formed,  and  the 
edge  of  the  metal  hammered  down  so  as  entirely 
to  envelop  it.  A  good  deal  of  tapping  and  some 
practice  are  required  to  make  a  neat  bead. 

As  the  cage  is  likely  to  be  often  smeared  with 


124  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

honey,  which  gets  in  between  the  wire  and  tin, 
and  there  sets  up  fermentation,  or  becomes  a  con- 
stant source  of  dirt,  the  following  plan  for  pre- 
venting this  may  be  adopted  if  desired:  Solder 
the  tin  along  outside  the  wire,  so  that  a  nicely 
formed  hollow  is  made,  which  can  easily  be  kept 
clean,  and  has  no  corners  for  dirt  (see  Fig.  118). 
In  this,  as  in  every  other  part,  use  fine  solder 
containing  a  large  proportion  of  tin. 

It  is  best  to  do  all  wiring  while  the  tin  is  in 
the  flat,   not  after  it  has  been  bent  into  shape. 


Fig.  119. — Rectangular  Band  and  Bridge. 

The  wire  can  be  soldered  in  either  before  or  after 
the  bending,  but  it  is  easier  to  do  it  before.  The 
tin  is  longer  by  1  in.  than  the  wire,  but  this  should 
not  be  turned  over  until  a  later  stage  of  the  work 
is  reached. 

These  wired  strips  of  tin  are  now  to  be  bent 
so  as  to  form  two  rectangular  bands,  12  in.  by 
10  in.  ;  the  overlapping  inch  at  the  ends  forms  a 
good  strong  joint  when  thoroughly  soldered.  The 
bending  can  be  done  with  a  wooden  vice,  such  as 
is  usually  found  on  a  carpenter^s  bench,  and  should 
be  as  nearly  as  possible  to  a  right  angle,  and  the 
frame  or  band  should  not  be  in  winding,  but  lie 


Honey  Extractors, 


"S 


flat  on  the  bench ;  the  wired  edge  should  be  turned 
outwards,  leaving  the  inside  surfaces  flat. 

Another  sheet  of  tinplate  must  now  be  taken 
in  hand,  and  two  pieces,  12  in.  by  3^  in.,  cut  off 
across  it.  These  must  be  wired  at  both  edges, 
with  wires  only  10  in.  long  placed  in  the  middle, 
leaving  1  in.  at  each  end  free  of  wire ;  but  the 
turned  over  edges  of  tin  may  be  hammered  down 
flat  at  the  ends.     The  unwired  ends  may  now  be 


AE  EA 

Figr.  120.— Pattern  of  Slide. 

turned  up  sharp  where  the  wire  terminates,  thus 
forming  a  sort  of  tin  stool  10  in.  long,  and  with 
legs  1  in.  high.  These  are  to  be  fastened  with 
solder  and  small  rivets  to  the  bands  already  made. 
They  will,  of  course,  bridge  the  band  the  narrow 
way,  which  is  the  only  direction  in  which  they  will 
fit,  and  be  equidistant  from  each  short  side.  Fig. 
119  is  a  diagram  of  one  of  the  bands  and  bridges 
at  its  present  stage.  The  bridges  are  for  the 
purpose  of  attaching  the  spindle. 


126  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

For  the  slides,  cut  four  other  pieces  of  tinplate, 
16i  in.  by  3j  in.,  and  turn  over  and  hammer  down 
\  in.  slack  at  each  long  edge  of  the  entire  lot ;  turn 
up  also  \  in.  at  one  short  edge,  or  end,  and 
hammer  down  flat ;  but  before  any  of  this  turning 
down  is  done  it  would  be  advisable  to  cut  out 
rectangular  pieces  at  the  corners,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  tin  from  being  doubled  too  much.  Fig 
120  gives  a  pattern  of  a  slide.  The  long  edges 
are  doubled  down  along  the  lines  A  b,  the  short 
one  at  c  d.  The  long  edges  are  to  be  then  turned 
up  along  the  line  E  G,  and  left  standing  at  right 
angles  to  the  broad  part,  and  the  short  end  along 
the  line  G  G,  the  whole  thus  forming  a  kind  of 
trough,  open  at  one  end,  and  having  the  other 
end  double  the  height  of  the  sides.  A  touch  of 
solder  in  the  corners  will  bind  the  edges  firmly 
together,  and  make  the  work  stronger.  The  sharp 
corners  of  the  projecting  end  should  also  be  nipped 
off,  and  rounded  nicely  with  a  file. 

The  bands  may  now  be  connected  together  with 
these  slides,  into  which  the  comb  baskets  slip. 
Place  one  of  the  bands  on  the  bench  with  the 
bridge  up,  and  stand  a  slide,  with  the  stopped  end 
down,  at  one  of  the  corners,  its  back  surface  being 
in  contact  with  one  of  the  long  sides  of  the  band, 
and  pushed  up  as  tightly  as  possible  towards  the 
corner.  A  small  cramp  and  two  pieces  of  wood 
can  be  used  to  hold  the  two  firmly  together,  while 
the  square  is  applied  to  see  that  the  slide  is  at 
right  angles  to  the  band.  A  little  solder  is  then 
run  between  the  two,  and  a  similar  operation  per- 
formed with  the  three  other  slides.  The  upper 
band  can  now  be  put  over  the  ends  of  the  four 
vertical  slides,  and  if  the  work  has  been  done 
carefully,  it  will  be  found  to  fit  well,  each  slide 
going  right  into  its  corner.  If,  however,  things 
are  not  true,  the  square  can  be  applied,  and  the 
erring  slide  or  slides  found,  unsoldered  from  the 
lower  band,  and  set  right.     See  that  both  bridges 


Honey  Extractors,  127 

are  turned  upwards  so  as  not  to  form  troughs 
to  hold  the  honey,  which  they  might  do  if  turned 
the  other  way.  Fig.  121  is  a  diagram  of  the  work 
at  this  stage. 


Fig-.  121. — Bands,  Slides  and  Bridgfes  of  Extractor. 

Small  rivets  could  be  used  as  well  as  solder 
to  hold  slides  and  bands  together,  but  they  are 
scarcely  necessary ;  but  if  used,  their  heads  must 
not  project  into  the  slides,  and  hinder  the  baskets 
from  moving  freely  up  and  down. 


128  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

Instead  of  this  framework,  a  box  10  in.  square 
and  15  in.  high  could  be  employed,  having  the 
slides  soldered  on  to  two  of  the  sides,  while  the 
other  two  act  as  backs  for  the  comb  baskets. 
This  would  be  found  by  many  an  easier  piece  of 
work,  and  possesses  the  additional  advantage  of 
being  easily  cleaned,  and  affording  few  corners  for 
dirt  to  lodge  in. 

With  regard  to  the  comb  baskets,  half  of  one 
of  the  baskets  is  shown  by  Fig.  122,  which  figure 


Fi^.  122.- 


-9^4 — ^ 

-Half  of  Comb  Basket. 


is  drawn  from  a  point  near  the  basket  and  be- 
tween the  sides.  Each  basket  consists  of  a  bottom 
of  wire  netting,  two  sides  of  tinplate  1^  in.  high, 
and  one  end ;  the  other  end  is  v/anting,  as  it  will 
form  the  top  of  the  basket  when  in  position.  The 
other  half  basket  is  exactly  similar  to  this,  but  a 
little  narrower,  so  as  to  fit  inside  it,  as  can  be 
seen  in  the  lower  part  of  Fig.  123.  The  width  of 
the  outer  half  of  the  basket  is  such  as  to  fit  easily 
between  the  slides  ;  it  may  be  9|  in.  The  distance 
between  the  two  nettings  can  be  varied  from  l\  in. 


Honey  Extractors.  129 

to  more  than  2  in.,   as  will  be  understood  from 
Fig.  123. 

To  make  these  baskets,  the  four  pieces  of 
netting  should  first  be  procured,  cut  accurately, 
two  to  15  in.  by  9|  in.,  and  the  remaining  two  \  in. 
narrower.  They  should  then  be  bound  round  with 
tinplate  which  overlaps  |  in.  at  each  side.  To  do 
this,  lay  the  straight  strips  of  metal,  which  will 
be  I  in.  wide,  on  the  bench,  and  the  edges  of  the 
netting  over  them  and  halfway  across.  Then 
solder  each  wire  to  the  tin,  turn  the  tin  over, 
and  solder  each  wire  to  the  turned-over  part  also, 
using  plenty  of  solder  and  heat,  so  as  to  have 
every  wire  very  firmly  held  in.  By  this  means 
the  netting  has  a  metal  frame,  which  will  greatly 
strengthen  it,  and  prevent  it  from  sagging.     Strips 


A 


"^ A 

Fig.  123. — Section  through  Comb  Basket. 

of  tinplate  must  now  be  soldered  together  to  form 
four  long  pieces  41  in.  long  by  2^  in.  wide.  The 
edges  of  these  are  to  be  turned  over  and 
hammered  down  to  the  extent  of  the  usual  \  in., 
and  one  edge  turned  up  at  right  angles,  so  that 
a  section  of  the  strips  will  form  an  L,  one  leg  of 
which  is  \\  in.,  and  the  other  \  in.  Each  strip 
is  then  to  be  bent  into  such  a  shape  as  to  form 
the  three  sides  of  the  half-basket  shown  in  Fig. 
122.  In  two  of  them  the  short  side  is  9|  in.  long, 
and  in  the  other  two  \  in.  less.  To  bend  the  strips 
it  will  be  necessary  to  cut  the  narrow  rib  with  a 
chisel. 

The  framed  netting  can  now  be  laid  in  position, 
and  soldered  firmly  against  the  narrow  rib,  so  that 
there  are  four  thicknesses  of  tin  round  the  netting. 
I 


130  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

About  f  in.  of  the  sides  will  project  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  netting ;  this,  in  the  wider  pair, 
should  be  turned  over,  and  a  short  bit  of  wire  put 
in  it  to  afford  a  hold  when  drawing  out  the 
baskets.  In  the  narrower  pair  some  may  be 
clipped  off,  and  about  \  in.  turned  down,  so  as  to 
have  a  nice  round  edge  at  the  top. 

To  use  these  baskets,  the  comb  is  uncapped  at 
both  sides  and  laid  on  one  half  of  the  basket ;  the 
other  half  is  then  placed  over  the  first,  which  it 
fits,  like  the  lid  of  a  pasteboard  box,  and  the 
entire  basket  and  comb  is  slipped  down  the  slides 
of  the  extractor,  another  comb  being  put  into  the 
other  basket  and  slides.  The  whole  is  then 
whirled  rapidly  until  the  honey  from  one  side  of 
the  comb  is  extracted ;  the  baskets  are  then  with- 
drawn, and  the  other  sides  of  the  combs  turned 
outwards  and  extracted  in  like  manner. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  a  hole  must  be  cut  out 
of  the  end  of  each  half  of  the  comb  basket, 
so  as  to  let  the  long  top  bar  of  the  frames  pass 
through.  This  could  be  avoided,  however,  by 
making  slides  and  baskets  an  inch  or  so  longer. 

The  spindle  is  not  made  until  its  exact 
length  is  known  (not  until  the  case  is  made)  yet 
it  is  convenient  here  to  describe  its  construction. 
Any  one  of  three  kinds  of  spindle  may  be  used ; 
the  most  workmanlike  would  probably  be  J-in. 
round  iron  or  steel,  tinned  all  over,  or  covered 
with  tinplate  soldered  on,  or  it  might  be  a  tinplate 
tube,  though  this  is  nob  recommended.  In  any 
case,  it  passes  through  the  bridges  at  their  middle 
points,  or  nearly  so,  in  such  a  position  as  to  make 
the  cages  revolve  truly  and  evenly.  The  lower 
end  is  brought  to  a  long  cone,  and  works  in  metal 
bearings  soldered  to  the  centre  of  the  bottom  of 
the  can.  The  top  of  the  spindle  takes  either  a 
cranked  handle  or  a  toothed  pinion,  with  which 
it  is  driven.  The  tops  of  the  cages  should  be  2  iij, 
lower  than  the  top  of  the  can. 


Honey  Extractors.  131 

It  will  be  necessary  to  put  tin  washers  in  the 
bridges  to  strengthen  the  hold  of  the  spindle. 
They  could  be  l4  in.  in  diameter,  beaten  saucer- 
shaped,  with  a  hole  in  the  middle,  through  which 
the  spindle  passes.  After  it  has  been  soldered  to 
the  bridges  these  washers  could  be  placed  over  the 
point,  and  attached  both  to  the  spindle  and 
bridges.  It  would  be  well  to  have  the  holes  a 
little  small,  and  to  turn  out  the  edges  until  the 
spindle  can  pass  through.  This  will  give  a  firmer 
hold  to  the  solder  than  the  mere  thickness  of  the 
tinplate  could  afford. 

For  the  cylinder  itself,  get  a  tinplate  55  in.  by 
26  in.  ;  the  top  and  bottom  should  be  wired  with 
J  in.  wire,  and  the  edges  turned  over  to  form  a 
joint.  The  sheet  is  then  to  be  bent  into  a  cylinder, 
and  the  joint  made  and  soldered.  A  piece  is  next 
to  be  cut  for  the  bottom,  and  the  edge  turned  up 
i  in.  all  round.  The  bottom,  however,  should 
be  slightly,  say  \  in.,  larger  than  the  diameter  of 
the  cylinder,  as  it  is  to  be  placed  in  it  in  a  sloping 
position,  so  as  to  allow  all  the  honey  to  drain  out 
of  the  cylinder  through  a  treacle  valve,  which  is 
placed  in  the  lowest  position  (see  Fig.  115).  This 
valve  can  be  obtained  from  dealers  in  hive  furni- 
ture. The  flange  of  the  bottom  will  be  turned 
down,  and  firmly  soldered  to  the  sides  of  the 
barrel.  The  centre  of  the  bottom  being  ascer- 
tained, a  bearing  for  the  lower  end  of  the  spindle 
can  be  soldered  in  place  either  before  or  after  the 
bottom  has  been  fixed ;  the  under  surface  of  the 
bearing  is  to  be  filed  to  an  angle  to  suit  the 
bottom,  so  that  its  top  surface  is  horizontal. 

A  couple  of  bands  of  hoop  iron,  \  in.  thick  and 
Ij  in.  wide,  riveted  to  the  edges  under  the  bead, 
greatly  strengthen  the  cylinder.  To  the  top  one, 
attach  the  bolts  (Fig.  124),  which  hold  the  bar 
forming  the  top  bearing  for  the  spindle,  one  of 
the  bolts  breaking  the  joint  of  the  hoop.  The  bar 
is  fastened  with  fly  nuts  or  hexagonal  nuts.     This 


132  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 

bar  is  Ij  in.  by  |  in.— long  enough  to  reach  across 
— with  holes  drilled  for  bolts,  and  one  for  spindle 
to  pass  through.  A  plain  short  crank  handle  does 
for  driving,  it  being  the  simplest  and  cheapest. 

The  two  wires  shown  crossing  each  other  in 
Fig.  1,7  (p.  123)  should  receive  attention.  They 
are  to  prevent  the  network  from  bulging,  and  are 
\  in.  thick,  fastened  with  solder  to  the  framework 
at  their  ends,  and  to  each  other  in  the  middle. 
The  outer  wire  should  be  bent  at  the  point  of 
juncture,  so  as  to  be  flat  against  the  network ; 
otherwise,  it  would  be  of  very  little  use. 

If  it  is  decided  to  use  gearing  wheels  as  shown 
in  Fig.  115,  they  can  be  bought  cheaply.     The  pinion 


c^^ 


Fig.  124.— Bolfc  for  Cross-bar. 

tits  the  spindle,  and  is  keyed  to  it,  and  the  toothed 
wheel  works  on  a  stud  riveted  to  the  cross-bar. 
The  cross-bar  would,  in  this  case,  require  to  be 
somewhat  stronger — say,  \  in.  thick. 

The  extractor  is  finished  by  the  addition  of  a 
couple  of  handles  riveted  to  the  sides,  and  covers, 
of  which  there  are  two,  one  at  each  side  of  the 
cross-bar.  It  is  far  easier  to  have  the  covers  flat, 
in  which  case  the  edges  can  be  turned  down,  and 
made  to  embrace  the  rim  which  fits  into  the 
barrel.  Inspection  of  an  ordinary  saucepan  cover 
will  show  how  this  can  be  done. 


133 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WAX    EXTRACTORS. 

Wax  extractors,  which  follow  honey  extractors  in 
natural  sequence,  are  not  so  indispensable  as  those 
appliances. 

Much  wax  extracting  can  be  done  with  a  simple 
milk  strainer  and  a  saucepan.  The  strainer  should 
be  about  8  in.  in  diameter  and  have  a  wire  netting 
bottom  and  sloping  sides.  The  lower  part  of  the 
strainer  should  fit  into  the  saucepan,  the  upper 
part  being  supported  clear  of  it.  Put  water  in 
the  saucepan,  affix  the  strainer,  put  the  combs  in 
the  latter,  and  put  a  cover  (that  of  the  saucepan 
if  it  fits)  over  the  top  of  the  strainer.  The  whole 
is  then  put  on  the  range,  where  the  water  is 
brought  to  the  boil ;  the  steam  will  rise  through 
the  strainer,  and  melt  the  wax,  which  passes 
through  to  the  water  underneath,  leaving  any  dirt 
or  refuse  in  the  strainer.  When  all  the  wax  is 
extracted,  the  water  is  poured  into  a  basin,  and 
the  wax,  when  cool,  will  be  found  in  a  cake  on 
top. 

This  is  very  simple  and  inexpensive,  and  is  on 
the  same  principle  as  the  Gerster  extractor,  except 
that  the  wax  does  not  there  come  into  contact  with 
boiling  water. 

The  solar  extractor  produces  the  best  quality 
of  wax.  It  can  be  used  only  in  the  summer  when 
the  sun  is  hot,  but  then  it  works  of  itself,  and 
costs  nothing.  It  is  a  well-known  physical  fact 
that  glass  is  a  trap  for  heat — that  is,  apparently 
it  lets  it  in,  but  will  not  let  it  out  again.  To  be 
more  exact,  it  permits  of  the  passage  of  luminous 
rays  of  heat,  but  not  of  opaque.     The  direct  rays 


134  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers*  Appliances. 

of  the  sun  are  luminous,  but  those  which  are 
radiated  from  a  comparatively  dull  substance  are 
opaque.  For  instance,  in  a  greenhouse  the  heat 
is  found  to  be  very  much  more  oppressive  than 
in  the  hottest  place  outside.  This  principle  is 
utilised  in  the  solar  extractor  (Fig.  125).  The 
appliance  consists  of  a  box  formed  with  a  sloping 
top  like  a  desk,  the  top  being  glazed  with  a 
double  thickness  of  glass  as  shown  by  Fig.  126. 
The  dimensions  may  vary  considerably,  but  those 
given  in  Fig.  125  will  make  a  very  useful  and 
practicable  size,  namely,  length,  20  in.  ;  breadth, 
12  in.  ;  height  at  back,  12  in.  ;  at  front,  6  in. 


Fig.  125.— Solar  Wax  Extractor. 


It  should  be  made  of  very  sound  and  dry  stuff, 
preferably  yellow  pine,  and  it  would  be  well  to 
dovetail  it  together  at  the  corners.  The  bottom 
should  be  grooved  and  tongued  at  the  joint,  or 
else  made  of  one  piece  of  wood.  It  would  be  a 
great  improvement  to  line  the  whole  structure  with 
tinplate,  which  would  ensure  its  being  wax-tight. 
The  top  consists  of  a  frame  of  2  in.  by  1  in.  stuff 
mortised  together  at  the  corners,  and  rebated  to 
take  the  glass,  the  rebate  being  f  in.  by  J  in.  The 
glass  is  to  be  placed  in  a  slight  bedding  of  soft 
putty,  and  then  a  strip  |  in.  by  J  in.  is  to  be  tacked 
to  the  frame  close  up  to  the  glass  ;  the  other  glass 
is  then  to  be  put  in  a  similar  bedding  of  putty, 


Wax  Extractors. 


135 


and  another  strip  tacked  on  over  all.  The  object 
is  to  have  the  glass  air-tight  in  the  frame,  and 
this  can  easily  be  secured  by  a  judicious  use  of 
putty  or  white  lead.  The  frame  may  now  be 
attached  to  the  box  by  means  of  a  couple  of  hinges 
at  the  back,  and  two  hooks  in  front  will  keep  it 
down  close. 

A  tinplate  shelf  or  tray  is  now  to  be  made,  the 
length  of  the  inside,  and  approaching  within  an 
inch  or  so  of  the  front.     Three  sides  of  this  shelf 


Finf.  126.— Glazing  Top 
of  Solar  Wax  Extractor. 


Fig.  127.— Foot  of  Solar 
Extractor  Stand. 


are  to  be  turned  up  for  1  in.,  as  also  the  corners, 
to  get  a  touch  of  solder.  Tray  supports  are  now 
to  be  affixed  to  the  inside.  If  the  box  is  lined 
with  tinplate,  these  supports  would  take  the  form 
of  pieces  of  tinplate  soldered  to  the  ends,  and 
turned  up  at  right  angles,  like  L  iron.  If,  how- 
ever, the  extractor  is  not  lined,  strips  of  wood 
tacked  against  the  ends  would  do.  The  tray  is 
to  slope  slightly  forward  so  that  the  wax  will  run 
into  the  receptacle  placed  in  front  for  it.  The 
strips  which  support  it  will  be  placed  about  half- 
way up  the  ends. 


136  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers*  Appliances, 

Over  the  tray  there  is  a  sieve  of  tinned  wire 
netting,  bound  with  tin,  on  which  the  combs  to 
be  converted  into  wax  are  placed.  This  sieve  is 
\  in.  from  the  tray,  supported  with  tinplate  strips 
standing  edgeways  across  it.  The  tinned  edges 
should  be  turned  up  for  J  in.  to  catch  the  comb 
and  prevent  it  from  slipping  off. 

The  box  to  catch  the  wax  underneath  is  as  long 
as  will  fit  between  the  tray  supports,  and  may  be 
as  wide  as  the  extractor,  or  any  less  width.  It  is 
made  of  tinplate  with  a  wired  top,  and  is,  of 
course,  water-  and  wax-tight.  Care  should  be 
taken  that  the  fluid  wax  will  all  flow  into  the 
receptacle  placed  for  it,  and  not  flow  over  its  ends 
where  it  is  not  wanted. 

A  convenient  stand  for  the  solar  extractor  is 


Fig.  128.— Revolving  Top  Fig.  129.— Washer  and 

of  Wax  Extractor.  Screw. 

shown  by  Fig.  127.  To  make  it,  get  two  pieces  of 
wood  2  ft.  long  by  2  in.  square,  and  halve  them 
together  in  the  middle.  Now  get  another  piece 
15  in.  long  by  3  in.  square,  and  round  the  upper 
end  for  a  distance  of  about  3  in.  to  1^  in.  in  dia- 
meter ;  then  cut  the  lower  part  to  fit  over  the 
junction  of  the  cross  pieces,  and  fix  it  to  them 
with  one  long  spike  driven  from  underneath,  and 
some  smaller  nails  at  the  sides,  having  it  at  right 
angles  to  the  cross  pieces. 

The  revolving  top  to  the  stand  (see  Fig.  128) 
may  next  be  taken  in  hand ;  it  may  be  any  con- 
venient size,  and  about  3  in.  thick.  The  most 
important  item  in  its  construction  is  the  boring  of 
the  hole,  which  is  1\  in.  in  diameter,  and  should  be 
exactly  at  right  angles  to  the  upper  surface.  It 
is  countersunk   on   top,   so  that  the  washer  and 


Wax  Extractors, 


137 


screw  (Fig.  129)  will  be  flush,  or,  if  anything, 
somewhat  lower  than  the  surface  of  the  wood. 
When  the  entire  stand  is  put  together,  the  ex- 
tractor can  be  attached  to  it  by  means  of  four 


C 


<--.2  --> 


<-\^A~- 


—  10" -> 


Fig.  130.— Section  of  Gerster  Wax  Extractor. 

screws  passing  upwards  into  the  bottom.  The 
object  of  the  revolving  part  is,  of  course,  to  enable 
the  glass  top  to  be  turned,  so  as  to  catch  the 
direct  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  Gerster  wax  extractor,  of  which  a  section 


138  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

is  given  in  Fig.  130,  consists  of  four  parts :  (1)  the 
boiler;  (2)  the  steamer;  (3)  the  comb  basket;  (4) 
the  cover,  or  lid.  It  is  hard  to  dish  the  covers 
to  a  nice  curve  without  special  tools  and  blocks ; 
and,  consequently,  it  is  better  to  buy  a  saucepan 
cover  for  a  few  pence  and  make  the  other  parts 
of  any  piece  of  apparatus  to  suit  the  cover.  Sup- 
posing that  the  cover  is  10  in.  in  diameter,  the 
boiler  and  steamer  can  be  made  the  same  size. 

The  boiler  can  be  taken  in  hand  first.  It  is 
advisable  to  make  it  of  copper,  as  it  is  then  far 
more  lasting.  If,  however,  tinplate  is  used,  on  no 
account  should  acid  be  employed  as  a  flux  for  the 
solder,  as  it  would  soon  eat  its  way  through  the 
plates.  The  boiler  may  vary  much  in  height,  but 
5  in.,  as  shown  in  Fig.  130,  is  suitable. 

The  pipe  A  allows  the  height  of  the  water  in 
the  boiler  to  be  seen  without  taking  off  the 
steamer,  which  would  be  an  awkward  thing  to  do 
often.  This  pipe  is  about  1  in.  in  diameter,  and 
has  a  cork  or  metal  cap  to  cover  the  top.  Instead 
of  it  a  U-shaped  piece  of  tin  could  be  soldered 
over  the  hole  in  the  boiler,  and  would  be  equally 
efficacious. 

The  steamer  is  of  the  same  external  diameter 
as  the  boiler.  The  bottom  is  in  the  form  of  a 
cone,  of  which  a  pattern  is  given  by  Fig.  131,  and 
a  rim  of  doubled  tinplate  is  affixed  to  the  lower 
edge,  small  enough  to  fit  into  the  boiler.  It  is 
made  just  in  the  same  manner  as  an  ordinary 
vegetable  steamer,  which  will  be  a  good  guide  in 
its  manufacture.  The  apex  of  the  coned  bottom 
has  a  hole  cut  in  it,  the  edge  is  slightly  turned 
up,  and  a  l|-in.  tinplate  tube,  6  in.  long,  ia 
soldered  firmly  to  it.  Another  tube  D  is  soldered 
into  the  side,  as  low  down  as  possible,  so  that 
it  will  drain  out  all  the  contents  of  the  steamer. 

The  comb  basket  is  made  of  perforated  tinplate, 
one  hundred  holes  to  the  inch.  The  cylindrical 
part,  9i  in.  in  diameter  and  7  in.  high,  can  first  be 


Wax  Extractors.  139 

made.  It  may  be  necessary  to  give  a  rule  for 
cutting  out  the  material  for  making  hollow  cylin- 
ders such  as  this :  Multiply  the  diameter  by  3^, 
and  add  what  is  required  to  make  the  joint.  If  a 
plain  overlapping  joint  is  used,  add  the  amount  of 
lap ;  but  if  a  hooked  joint  is  used,  three  times  the 
length  of  the  turned  over  parts  should  be  added, 
usually  about  j  in.  In  the  present  case,  a  strip 
of  perforated  tinplate,  29 J  in.  by  7f  in.,  will  form 


Fig.  131.— Pattern  for  Cylindrical  Top  of  Boiler. 

the  cylinder,  the  extra  width  being  |  in.  for  the 
wiring  on  top,  and  J  in.  to  make  the  joint  at  the 
bottom. 

The  conical  bottom  of  the  basket  has  the  same 
slope  as  that  of  the  steamer ;  the  same  pattern 
will  do  for  both,  except  that  the  radius  of  the 
basket  pattern  may  be  |  in.  less.  A  perforated 
tinplate  tube,  similar  to  that  in  the  steamer,  but 
4  in.  larger,  is  fixed  in  the  centre  of  the  comb 
basket ;  but,  while  the  tube  in  the  steamer  is  open 


I40  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  appliances, 

at  both  ends,  that  in  the  basket  is  closed  on  top 
with  a  piece  of  plain  tinplate — the  cover  of  a 
coffee  canister  does  capitally. 

Three  legs  of  doubled  tinplate  are  soldered, 
equidistant  from  each  other,  to  the  lower  edges  of 
the  comb  basket  so  as  to  keep  the  bottom  1  in. 
from  that  of  the  steamer.  In  Fig.  130  the  three 
parts  as  drawn  are  separated  from  each  other, 
but  they  would  fit  down  into  place  in  actual  use. 

To  use  the  Gerster  extractor,  water  is  placed 
in  the  boiler,  which  is  then  put  over  a  fire ;  the 
combs  are  smashed  up  and  put  in  the  comb  basket, 
which  is  put  into  place,  and  the  cover  fits  over 
all,  and  keeps  in  the  steam.  Presently,  when  the 
water  begins  to  boil,  the  steam  passes  up  through 
the  centre  tube  of  the  steamer,  hits  against  the 
closed  top  of  the  basket  tube,  and  is  disseminated 
through  the  combs,  which  it  soon  reduces  to  a 
fluid  state.  The  wax  and  condensed  steam  run 
through  the  tube  D  into  a  vessel  placed  for  their 
reception,  while  the  dirt  and  refuse  remain  in  the 
comb  basket.  In  Fig.  130,  A  and  d  indicate  the 
pipes ;  B  the  boiler ;  c  the  comb  basket ;  and  s  the 
steamer. 

The  basket  can  be  cleaned  by  a  liberal  appli- 
cation of  hot  water  in  which  washing  soda  has  been 
dissolved,  and  the  point  of  a  brush  will  take  out 
any  stubborn  pieces  of  dirt. 

All  pieces  of  apparatus  should  be  kept  scrupu- 
lously clean. 


141 


CHAPTER   XIY. 

BEE    keepers'     miscellaneous    APPLIANCES. 

This,  the  concluding  chapter,  will  concern  itself 
with  a  number  of  appliances  more  or  less  indis- 
pensable to  the  bee  keeper. 

A  bee  feeder  which  has  two  wooden  floats  is 
shown  in  plan  by  Fig.  132,  and  in  vertical  section 


Fig.  13^. 


Fig.  132. 

Fig.  132.— Plan  of  Float  Bee  Feeder.     Figs.  133  and  134.- 

Sections  of  Bee  Feeder. 


by  Fig.  133.  First  make  a  wooden  box  of  any 
size  up  to  14  in.  long  by  8  in.  wide  by  4  in.  deep. 
At  a  distance  of  -^-^  in.  from  the  top,  run  round  the 
sides  and  one  end  a  groove  as  shown  at  A  (Figs. 
133  and  134),  into  which  the  glass  cover  will  slide 
freely ;  then  at  one  end  fix  a  partition  c  with  J-in. 
clearance  at  the  bottom  b  (Fig.  133)  and  up  to  the 
glass  at  the  top.     At  d  (Figs.   132  and  133)  cut  a 


142  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers^  Appliances, 


hole  about  3  in.  by  2  in.  through  the  bottom,  and 
in  this  hole  fix  a  wooden  funnel,  which  must  be 
kept  \  in.  below  the  glass  at  the  top.  The  box 
must  be  carefully  put  together,  so  that  it  will  be 
perfectly  watertight,  or  a  tin  lining  should  be 
provided  as  shown  by  the  inner  line  on  Figs.  133 
and  134,  and  if  this  is  used  the  centre  funnel  should 
also  have  a  further  lining  of  perforated  tin  to 
enable  the  bees  to  gain  a  foothold.  Zinc  should 
not  be  used.  The  two  floats  E  and  f  are  made  of 
J-in.  stuff  pierced  with  a  number  of  -^V^n.  holes. 
The  bees  pass  up  through  d  and  over  the  top  of 
the  funnel  on  to  the  floats,  and  the  feeder  is  filled 


Fig.  135. — Raynor  Bee 
Feeder. 


Fig.  136.— Base  for  Bee 
Feeder. 


by  sliding  back  the  glass  cover  and  pouring  in 
syrup  at  G. 

A  feeder  of  altogether  different  construction  is 
shown  by  Figs.  135  to  137.  This  is  the  Eaynor, 
one  of  the  best  for  all  round  purposes.  It  consists 
of  a  bottle  having  a  screw-on  cap,  which  is  per- 
forated with  a  dozen  holes  in  a  semicircle  in  such 
a  way  that  one  or  more  can  be  brought  over  the 
circular  slot  which  is  shown  in  the  stand  (Fig. 
136).  A  pointer  soldered  to  the  cap  indicates  the 
number  of  holes  which  are  uncovered  to  the  bees 
underneath. 

Make  the  base  of  the   feeders  of  hard  wood, 


Bee  Keepers'  Miscellaneous  Appliances.  143 

turned  to  the  section  shown  in  Fig.  137.  It  may 
be  6  or  7  in.  across,  and  \\  in.  high.  The  recess 
in  the  top  is  made  to  fit  the  2  lb.  screw-top  bottles, 
which  can  be  bought  from  all  dealers  in  bee  ap- 
pliances. The  top  of  the  dome  is  turned  to  about 
\  in.  thick,  a  circle  marked  round  while  in  the 
lathe  with  the  corner  of  the  chisel,  and  the  slot 
\  in.  wide,  cut  out  with  a  narrow  chisel  and  pen- 
knife. 

The  slot  is  to  be  no  more  than  half  a  circle. 
The  feeding  bottle  is  then  laid  in  place  and  holes 
pricked  through  its  cap  through  the  slot  of  the 
stand,  with  a  darning-needle  or  fine  awl.     These 


Fig".  187.— Section  of 
Bee  Feeder  Base. 


Fig.  188.— Bee  Feeder 
with  Square  Base. 


holes  may  be  about  a  dozen  in  number,  as  may  be 
inferred  from  Fig.  136.  A  tinplate  pointer  must 
be  soldered  to  the  cap,  and  numbers  stamped  on 
the  stand  corresponding  to  the  number  of  holes 
open. 

When  the  bottle  is  inverted,  the  syrup  will  not 
run  out  of  the  holes,  owing  to  the  air  pressure 
and  capillary  attraction,  but  the  bees  can  easily 
suck  the  syrup  through  them.  The  dome  can  be 
lined  with  cloth  or  chamois  leather  to  keep  it 
snug,  but  this  is  not  an  essential. 

When  a  stand  is  required  al  a  moment^s  notice, 
use  a  piece  of  pine  5  in.  square,  and  tack  a  slip 
1  in.  wide  and  |  in.  thick  all  round,  as  in  Fig.  138. 


1-44  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

Then  cut  a  hole  right  through  the  top  large  enough 
to  take  a  tin  canister  cover  of  the  correct  size, 
and  then  flange  this  over  and  secure  it  in  place 
with  a  couple  of  tacks.  Cut  the  slot  in  the  tin 
and  make  the  holes  in  the  bottle  cap  as  before,  and 
the  work  is  done.  A  pointer,  of  course,  will  be 
needed  as  before. 

The  Hone  dummy  feeder  is  shown  in  section  by 


Fig".  139. — Section  of  Hone  Dummy  Feeder. 


Fig.  139.  A  slit  is  cut  in  the  dummy  A  to  enable  the 
bees  to  take  the  syrup,  which  is  contained  in  an 
oblong  tin  box  b  with  perforated  edge  placed  at  the 
back.  The  slot  in  the  dummy  is  6  in.  long,  and 
the  tin  box  8  in.  by  5  in.  by  2  in.  ;  twelve  holes  c 
are  made  along  the  lower  edge  opposite  the  slit, 
and  a  screw  plug  d  and  leather  washer  keep  the  hole 
through  which  the  tin  is  filled  perfectly  tight.     The 


Bee  Keepers   Miscellaneous  Appliances.  145 

tin  is  kept  in  place  by  two  pieces  of  wood  2  in.  by 
5  in.  by  |  in.,  nailed  edgeways  to  the  dummy,  and 
two  other  pieces  5  in.  by  1  in.  by  \  in.,  nailed  to 
the  backs  of  these,  so  that  \  in.  embraces  the  back 
of  the  tin.  The  whole  works  like  the  female  por- 
tion of  a  slide.  A  small  strip  E  underneath  pre- 
vents the  tin  from  going  too  low.  If  the  screw  cap 
is  an  objection,  it  could  be  replaced  by  a  tube  and 
good  cork,  an  indiarubber  stopper  being  still 
better.  For  spring  feeding,  when  only  a  small 
quantity  of  syrup  is  required  to  be  given  at  a 
time,  some  of  the  holes  in  this  feeder  may  be 
plugged  up  with  wax. 


Fig.  140. — Rapid  Bee  Feeder. 

The  principal  objection  to  the  feeders  shown  by 
Figs.  135,  138,  and  139  is  that  they  must  be  fre- 
quently attended  to,  on  account  of  the  small  quan- 
tity of  syrup  which  they  contain.  This  defect  has 
been  overcome  in  the  American  rapid  feeders,  of 
which  there  are  many  in  the  market.  The  float 
feeder,  the  first  appliance  described  in  this 
chapter,  is  also  free  from  this  defect. 

Fig.  140  is  a  general  view  and  Fig.  141  a  cross 
section  of  one  of  these  American  rapid  feeders. 
It  consists  of  a  trough  holding  about  10  lbs.  of 
syrup.  This  is  supported  over  the  brood  nest  by 
the  ends  and  a  pair  of  supplementary  sides,  which 
allow  the  bees  free  access  to  the  top  of  the  trough 
without  permitting  them  to  escape,  a  thin  board 
acting  as  a  cover.     The  vertical  lines  in  Fig.  141  in- 


146  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

dicate  a  sort  of  ladder  made  of  very  thin  wood, 
its  object  being  to  prevent  the  bees  being  drowned 
in  the  trough. 

To  make  this  feeder,  two  pieces  of  clean  pine 
lOj  in.  by  4|  in.  by  1  in.  are  prepared  for  the  ends. 
Rebates  \\  in.  wide  by  |  in.  deep  are  then  cut 
round  three  sides  of  each.  Two  pieces  14  in.  by 
3J  in.,  and  one  14  in.  by  9|  in.  by  |  in.,  are  got  for 
the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  trough.  This  may  be 
now  completed  by  nailing  the  sides  and  bottom  to 
the  rebated  parts  of  the  ends  forming  a  trough  8j 
in.  wide  and  3j  in.  deep,  and  with  the  ends  pro- 
jecting I  in.  beyond  the  sides  and  bottom.  The 
outer  sides,  which  are  14|  in.  by  4|  in.  by  \  in.,  are 
now  nailed  to  the  projecting  parts  of  the  ends, 
which  will  leave  a  space  of  |  in.  between  the  sides 
of  the  trough  and  these  outer  sides.  If  the  whole 
structure  be  now  laid  upon  a  table,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  bottom  of  the  trough  is  |  in.  from 
the  surface  of  the  table.  A  partition  is  now 
placed  1  in.  from  the  end  of  the  trough  to  form  a 
filling  space.  This  partition  is  pierced  with  \  in. 
holes,  so  that  when  the  syrup  is  poured  into  the 
smaller  compartment,  it  will  run  into  the  larger, 
which  can  thus  be  filled  without  removing  its 
cover.  The  cover  is  made  of  \  in.  stuff  of  such  a 
size  as  to  cover  the  larger  compartment,  that  is, 
lOi  in.  by  13  in.,  and  two  little  cleats  are  put  on  to 
prevent  it  from  warping. 

If  an  examination  is  now  made,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  bees  can  crawl  up  between  the  inner  and 
outer  sides  of  the  feeder  and  over  the  side  of  the 
trough  into  the  food.  A  careful  examination  at 
this  stage  will  show  the  course  the  bees  will  take ; 
and  if  any  passage  is  less  than  |  in.,  it  should  be 
enlarged.  The  top  edge  of  the  trough  will 
evidently  be  |  in.  lower  than  the  sides  of  the 
feeders  and  the  under  surface  of  the  cover.  The 
bees  could  at  this  stage  find  their  way  into  the 
smaller    or    filling    compartment    through    small 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Appliances,  147 

spaces  which  communicate  with  the  hives.  These 
are  now  stopped  up  with  scraps  of  wood  tacked 
over  them,  and  a  long  narrow  strip  of  glass  is  cut 
to  cover  the  compartment. 

The  ladder  (see  Fig.  141)  which  enables  the  bees 
to  take  the  food  without  the  risk  of  being  drowned 
can  now  be  made.  The  best  material  to  employ 
is  the  wooden  dividers  used  to  separate  the 
sections  in  a  section  crate.  They  can  be  cut  12 
in.  by  3|-  in.,  and  seventeen  or  eighteen  of  them 
will  be  required.     Twice  as  many  pieces  of  wood  | 


1 

B 

1 

B 
D 

1 

i 

B 

1 

1 ' 

i'l 

1 

A 

Fig.  141. —Section  of  Rapid  Bee  Feeder. 


in.  thick  by  about  J  in.  by  Ij  in.  will  also  be  re- 
quired. One  of  the  thin  dividers  is  then  taken 
and  marked  with  a  pencil  3^  in.  from  each  end. 
A  couple  of  the  small  pieces  of  the  wood  are  then 
laid  on  these  marks  and  equidistant  from  the  edges 
of  the  divider ;  another  divider  is  then  laid  on  top, 
and  a  tack  through  each  thick  piece  secures  the 
three  together ;  another  couple  of  thick  pieces  are 
put  next,  again  a  thin  one,  and  the  tacking  con- 
tinued as  before  until  the  pile  is  high  enough 
to  fit  the  breadth  of  the  trough.  The  thin  wood 
dividers  of  which  this  ladder  is  made  are  kept 
i  in.  apart  by  the  little  blocks  between.     The  out- 


148  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances, 

side  dividers  will,  when  in  place,  be  |  in.  from 
the  sides  of  the  trough,  being  kept  so  far  away 
by  similar  blocks.  To  prevent  the  ladder  from 
floating  in  the  syrup,  a  couple  of  little  wooden 
buttons  attached  to  the  sides  of  the  trough  can 
be  turned  over  it,  while  two  strips  \  in.  thick  are 
tacked  to  the  bottom  of  the  trough  on  the  inside 
to  enable  the  syrup  to  flow  freely  to  every  part. 
This  is  an  excellent  feeder.  It  takes  the  place  of 
the  section  crate,  but  of  course  is  only  suitable  for 
use  in  the  autumn,  when  stocks  have  to  b€  fed 
up  rapidly  before  the  winter. 


Fig.  142.— Bennett's  Self-hiver. 

A  self-hiver  for  conducting  a  surplus  swarm 
from  its  old  quarters  to  a  new  hive  is  of  the  great- 
est advantage.  That  shown  by  Fig.  142  is  known 
as  the  Bennett,  and  its  position  with  reference  to 
the  hives  must  first  be  understood.  One  of  the 
hives  shown  contains  the  stock  of  bees  which  is 
expected  to  swarm,  while  the  other  is  the  empty 
hive  containing  frames,  foundation,  quilts,  and 
possibly  comb  and  honey,  into  which  it  is  desired 
to  lead  the  swarm.  The  inventor  has  described 
as  follows  how  this  useful  appliance  is  made : — 
First  get  a  thin  board  of  i  in.  stuff  2  ft.  long  and 
6  in.  wide  (any  size  can  be  adopted  at  the  dis- 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Appliances.  149 

cretion  of  the  maker).  Obtain  also  a  piece  of 
queen  excluder  zinc,  same  length  as  the  board, 
and  9  in.  wide,  and  bend  If  in.  on  each  side,  along 
the  whole  length  of  the  zinc,  and  tack  the  bottoms 
of  the  bent  sides  along  the  edges  of  the  board. 
Nail  along  each  of  these  sides  a  thin  strip  of  wood 
j  in.  wide,  so  forming  a  sort  of  square  tunnel — 
2  ft.  long,  6  in.  wide,  and  \\  in.  deep,  with  both 
ends  open,  and  a  sort  of  miniature  alighting  board 
along  its  sides.  Place  an  empty  hive  in  front  of 
the  one  expected  to  swarm,  draw  apart  the  slides 
to  form  an  entrance  6  in.  wide,  and  put  the  cage 


Alley's  Self-hiver. 


or  tunnel  on  the  entrance  board  of  each  hive,  the 
open  ends  of  the  cage  being  in  front  of  the  en- 
trances of  both  hives. 

With  regard  to  the  practical  working  of  the 
Bennett  self-hiver,  one  bee  keeper  reports  that  it 
did  splendidly,  the  swarm  settling  down  quietly 
in  its  new  home.  In  another  case  the  swarm 
went  off,  leaving  the  queen  in  the  tunnel  vainly 
trying  to  follow.  When  she  found  that  she  could 
not  leave,  she  returned  to  the  parent  hive,  and  the 
swarm  joined  her  there.  When  the  same  swarm 
issued  again,  and  the  queen  tried  to  get  through 
the  excluder  zinc,  the  owner  removed  the  empty 
hive  and  tunnel,  and  stopped  up  the  open  end  of 


X50  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers'  Appliances. 

the  latter  with  paper,  so  that  the  queen  had  per- 
force to  enter  the  empty  hive.  The  swarm  soon 
joined  her  there,  and  took  to  their  new  quarters 
readily. 

Alley's  self-hiver  (Fig.  143)  is  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple, the  only  difference  being  that  the  tunnel 
leads  to  another  hive  at  the  side  of  the  swarming 
one,    instead   of  in   front.     It  does   not   promise, 


H4. — Front  View  of  Swarm  Catcher. 


however,  as  well  as  Bennett's,  there  being  so  many 
corners  and  angles  in  it. 

A  swarm  catcher  for  a  beehive  is  shown  in  front 
view  by  Fig.  144,  and  in  section  by  Fig.  145,  in 
which  A  is  the  beehive,  the  swarm  catcher  being 
attached  to  it  by  means  of  two  iron  plates  with 
screws  at  c.  b  is  the  alighting  board  of  the  hive. 
The  swarm  catcher  D  consists  of  a  box  made  to 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Applianc^!s,  151 

take  three  standard  frames  E  (Fig.  145),  which  are 
fitted  with  full  sheets  of  brood  foundation.     The 


M   ^  /  N 

TznzzzzzSim 


^^'^^ 


Fig".  145. — Section  of  Swarm  Catcher. 

bottom  of  the  catcher  is  extended  about  3  in.  in 
advance  of  the  front,  as  shown  at  f  (Fig.  145),  to 
form  an  alighting  board  for  the  swarm.     A.  hole 


I 


w/w/j/ii/i/iwr  ° 


Fig.  146.— Hive  Entrance  with  Flexible  Sprinffs. 

G  about  6  in.  by  4  in.  is  cut  in  the  front  of  the 
catcher,  and  is  covered-  with  queen  excluder  zinc. 


152  Beehives  and  Bee  Keeper^  Appliances, 

and  a  slot,  7  in.  long  by  \  in.  wide,  is  cut  in  the 
bottom  at  H.  Two  triangular  pieces  i  (Fig.  145) 
are  cut  to  the  shape  shown,  and  nailed  to  the 
bottom  of  the  catcher  on  each  side  at  J  (Fig.  144), 
and  the  space  between  them  is  covered  with  ex- 
cluder zinc  K  (Figs.  144  and  145).  A  lid  L  is  fitted 
to  the  top  of  the  catcher  to  keep  in  the  swarm 
and  to  keep  the  bees  dry  in  case  of  rain. 

The  method  of  working  this  catcher  is  as 
follows: — When  the  swarm  issues  through  the 
flight  hole  M,  the  workers  pass  through  the  ex- 
cluder zinc  K,  but  as  the  queen  cannot  pass  this, 


Fig,  147  —Pipe-cover  Queen  Bee  Cage. 

she  walks  up  k  and  passes  through  h  into  the 
catcher,  where  the  bees  forming  the  swarm  join 
her.  In  the  evening  the  parent  hive  is  moved 
about  a  yard  away,  and  the  combs  in  the  catcher 
are  put  into  a  new  hive  with  the  swarm,  together 
with  four  more  combs,  one  of  which  should,  if 
possible,  contain  brood. 

In  some  swarm  catchers  the  bottom  slots  of 
the  excluder  zinc  N  (Figs.  144  to  146)  are  cut  away, 
and  a  number  of  very  flexible  brass  springs  are 
fixed  across  the  entrance,  to  enable  the  workers 
to  enter  the  hive  without  hindrance  when  return- 
ing home  loaded  with  pollen.  The  arrangement 
of  these  will  be  clear  from  Fig.   146»  in  which  M 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Appliances,  153 

indicates  the  entrance  to  the  hive,  k  the  excluder 
Einc,  B  the  alighting  board,  0  the  springs,  and  N 
the  entrance  under  the  excluder  zinc. 

•  Queen  cages  are  often  a  necessity ;  the  simplest 
of  them  is,  perhaps,  the  pipe-cover  queen  cage, 
shown  by  Fig.  147.  It  can  be  made  as  follows: — 
Get  a  strip  of  tinplate  6^  in.  long  and  1  in. 
wide ;  make  it  into  a  ring  and  solder  the  ends  to- 
gether.    Obtain  a  circular  piece  of  wire  gauze  or 


Fig.  liy. — Door  or  Spring 
for  Queen  Bee  Cage. 


Fig.  148.— Another  Type  of  Queen  Cage. 

perforated  tinplate,  2  in    in  diameter,  and  solder 
it  on  as  a  top,  and  the  cage  is  complete. 

A  disadvantage  of  this  cage  is  that  the  bees 
must  be  disturbed  in  releasing  the  queen.  This 
difi&culty  is  overcome  in  the  cage  shown  by  Fig. 
148.  It  consists  of  a  rectangular  cage,  formed  of 
perforated  tinplate  or  wire  gauze.  Its  dimensions 
are:  Length,  4  in.  or  5  in.  ;  width,  \\  in.  ;  thick- 
ness, \  in.  A  piece  of  metal,  3|  in.  wide  and  as 
long  as  the  cage,  bent  over  a  piece  of  wood  \\  in. 
by  \  in.,  will  just  make  it.     A  flange  is  then  made 


154  Beehives  and  Bee  KeepMrs'  Appliances^ 

of  plain  tinplate  for  the  top.  This  may  be  about 
2-J  in.  by  \\  in.,  having  a  hole  \\  in.  by  \  in.  in  its 
centre,  into  which  the  cage  fits  and  is  soldered, 
leaving  a  little  bit  projecting  at  the  back,  which  is 
turned  over  a  pin  and  acts  as  a  hinge  for  the  top 
door.  This  may  now  be  made  of  tinplate  \\  in. 
by  i  in.— a  hinge  formed  at  the  back  by  turning 
up  the  tinplate  over  a  fine  piece  of  wire  or  a 
pin,  and  fitted  to  the  part  of  the  cage  projecting 
above  the  flange. 

A  door  for  the  bottom  can  be  made  of  wire, 
bent  into  the  form  of  Fig.  149,  the  two  wires 
being  \  in.  apart,  and  the  distance  being  \\  in. 
from  centre  to  centre  of  the  loops,  that  is,  from 
the    single   loop    at   the    left   to    the   line   joining 


Ficr.  150. 


Fig.  151. 
Figs.  150  and  151. — Driving  Irons. 

the  pair  of  loops  to  the  right.  This  door  may  now 
be  fastened  to  the  cage  by  passing  a  pin  through 
the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  the  cage,  so  as  also 
to  pass  through  the  two  loops  of  the  door.  Some 
provision  should  be  made,  either  by  washers  or  a 
couple  of  twists  of  fine  wire,  to  keep  the  door  in 
the  centre  of  the  cage  ;  otherwise  it  might  move 
against  the  side,  and  allow  the  bees  to  have  access 
to  the  imprisoned  queen.  A  light  wire  hooked  on 
to  the  front  loop,  and  passing  with  slight  friction 
through  a  hole  in  the  flange,  completes  the  cage. 
The  queen  is  released  by  pressing  down  this  wire, 
which  projects  about  an  inch  above  the  flange,  and 
ends  in  a  loop. 

Driving  irons  are  shown  by  Figs  150  and  151. 
It  would  be  advisable  to  make  a  great  number  of 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Appliances,   155 

sets,  as  they  are  easily  lost.  They  are  made  of 
wire  nearly  \  in.  thick  ;  the  loops  in  Fig.  150  are 
9  in.  apart,  and  the  ends  about  \\  in.  long,  roughly 
pointed  with  a  file.  About  20  in.  of  wire  are  re- 
quired for  the  form  shown  by  Fig.   150,  and  two 


Fij3f   152. — Bingham  Knife. 

like  that  and  one  like  Fig.  151  complete  a  set ; 
the  latter  is  about  9  in.  long,  and  the  loop  2  in. 
diameter.     It  requires  15  in.  of  wire. 

The  making  of  a  Bingham  knife  (Fig.  152)  is  not 
to  be  undertaken,  except  the  manufacturer  has 
special  facilities  for  that 'kind  of  work.  The  blade 
is  made  of  good  saw  steel,  6  or  7  in.  long  and  from 
2  in.  to  3  in.  wide,  shaped  to  the  pattern  shown, 
and  sharpened  all  round  like  a  chisel,  from  the 
under  side  only.  A  tang  is  made  of  |  in.  iron  or 
steel,  one  end  being  pointed  to  fit  the  handle  and 
the  other  flattened  so  as  to  be  riveted  to  the  blade. 
The  two  rivets  should  be  countersunk  into  the 
under  side  of  the  blade  and  ground  flush  with  its 
surface;  when  the  blade  is  laid  flat  on  a  board, 


Fig.  153.— Comb  Cutter. 

the  handle  is  raised  about  an  inch  from  it,  and  the 
tang  should  be  bent  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
secure  this.  The  knife  is  not  unlike  a  mason's 
trowel. 

An  appliance  for  cutting  passages  through  the 


156  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers*  Appliances, 

combs  on  the  approach  of  winter  is  illustrated  by 
Fig.  153.  It  is  simply  a  tinplate  cylinder  about 
1  in.  in  diameter  and  4  in.  or  5  in.  long,  having 
one  end  serrated  so  as  to  cut  the  comb  more 
easily.  Near  the  other  end  two  wire  lugs  are 
soldered  to  afford  a  better  hold  to  the  fingers,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  153. 

The  Cheshire  transferring  board,  shown  by  Fig. 
154,  affords  facilities  for  transferring  the  combs 
cut  from  a  skep  to  a  bar-framed  hive.  The  table 
proper  consists  of  sixteen  tongues  projecting  from 
a  back  support  about  10  in.  To  make  it,  a  piece 
of  wood  about  16  in.  long,  3  in.  wide,  and  1  in. 


Fig.  154. — Cheshire  Transferring  Board. 

thick  is  planed  quite  flat  and  out  of  winding,  the 
under  surface  being  especially  true.  The  tongues 
are  all  cut  out  of  a  piece  of  yellow  pine  13  in. 
long,  1  in.  thick,  and  about  11  in.  wide.  Fig.  155 
is  a  view  of  the  end  of  this  piece  of  wood,  showing 
how  the  tongues  may  be  cut  out.  Of  course,  it 
will  require  care  to  cut  the  bevels  to  the  proper 
angle,  but  any  want  of  accuracy  in  the  saw  can  be 
rectified  by  the  trying  plane.  The  dimensions  of 
each  tongue,  when  j&nished,  will  be :  length,  13  in.  ; 
top  width,  i  in.  ;  bottom  width,  \  in.  ;  depth,  1  in. 
The  tongues  must  be  nailed  or,  preferably, 
screwed  to  the  back  piece,  each  tongue  being  at 
right  angles  to  the  back,  and  the  edges  J  in.  apart. 
It  is  desirable  to  fill  up  the  spaces  between  the 


Bee  Keepers^  Miscellaneous  Appliances.  157 

tongues  immediately  underneath  the  support  of  the 
back  with  pieces  of  wood  nicely  fitted  in. 

The  legs  may  be  either  fixed  or  folding,  but  in 
any  case  they  will  be  cut  to  the  shape  shown  in 
Fig.  154,  the  height  being  6  in.  or  8  in.  ;  length 
from  front  to  back,  12  in.  ;  and  thickness  of  the 
wood,  1  in.  If  they  are  folding,  hinges  should 
secure  them  to  the  back  support,  strap  or  butt 
hinges  3  in.  wide  doing  the  business  very  well. 
The  outside  surface  of  the  legs  is  quite  flush  with 
the  outer  edge  of  the  last  tongue,  and  to  prevent 


Fig.  155. — Cutting  Tongues  from  Board. 

the  leg  shutting  up  when  not  wanted,  a  hook  and 
eye,  such  as  is  used  to  hold  the  first  door  of  a 
cupboard,  is  fitted,  the  hook  being  secured  to  the 
leg  and  the  eye  screwed  into  the  surface  of  the 
tongue.  This  is  shown  at  the  right-hand  side  to- 
wards the  back  of  Fig.  154.  A  tinplate  tray  to 
fill  the  space  between  the  legs  is  necessary  to 
catch  any  honey  which  may  drop  from  the  combs 
during  manipulation.  As  the  transferrer  will  be 
always  exposed  to  the  smearing  of  honey,  it  would 
be  well  to  give  it  several  coats  of  a  hard  varnish, 
which  will  make  the  surface  washable.  The  bee 
keeper  should  always  aim  at  perfect  cleanliness. 


INDEX. 


Abbot's         Broad  -  shouldered 

Frame,  49 
Alley's  Self-hiver,  150 
American  Jointed  Frame,  52 
Rapid  Feeder,  145 

Bar-frame  Beebive,  9—18 

Brood  Chamber,   14 

Floor  Board,  13 

,  Furnishing,  48 

Lift,   16 

,  Materials  for,  26 

Porch,  15 

Roof,  16 

,  Tiering,      25—40     {for 

details  see  Tiering  Bar -frame 
Beehive) 

Ventilation,  17 

Basket,  Comb,  for  Gerster  Ex- 
tractor, 138 

B.B.K.A.  Standard  Frame,  49 

Bee  Escape,  Cone,  17 

^  Porter,  98 

Feeder,   American,  145 

,  Float,  141 

,  Hone  Dummy,  144 

,  Rapid,  145 

,  Raynor,  142 

Smokers,  102—115 

*'  Bee-space,"   11 

Bellows  for  Bee  Smoker,  108 

Springs,  Bee  Smoker,  108 

Bennett's  Self-hiver,  148 
Bingham  Bee  Smoker,  102 

Knife,  155 

Blast  Pipe  for  Clarke  Smoker, 

115 

,  Cone,  107 

Block  for  Wiring  Frame,  54 
Body-box  of  Queen   Bee   Hive, 

91—92 

Tiering         Bar-frame 

Beehive,  31 

W.B.C.   Beehive,   44 

Boiler  of  Gerster  Wax  Ex- 
tractor, 138 

Bolt  for  Cross-bar,  131 

Bracket,  Porch,  39 

Broad-shouldered  Frames,  50 

Brood  Chamber,  14 

Lining,    17 

for  Observatory  Bee- 
hive, 69 


Brood  Chamber  for  W.B.C.  Bee 

hive,  44 
"  Brood  Nest,"  12 

Cages,  Queen,  152—154 

Case,    Beehive   Inspection,   84— 

88 
Catcher,  Swarm,  150—152 
Chamber,   Brood,   14 

,  ,  Lining  of,  17 

,  Surplus,  12 

Cheshire    Transferring    Board, 

156 
Clarke  Smoker,  112 

Blast  Pipe,  115 

Diaphragm,  114 

Fire-box,   113 

■ Funnel,  114 

Cleaning  Basket  of  Gerster  Ex- 
tractor, 140 

Clearers,  Super,  96—101 
Comb   Basket  for  Gerster  Wax 
Extractor,  138 

Baskets,  128 

Cutter,  153,  154 

Combination  Hives,   11 
Coned  Blast  Pipe,  107 
Cones,  Bee,  17,  96,  97 
Crates,  65 

Crossbar  Bolt,  131 

Cylinder  Honey  Extractor,  123 

Diaphragm   of   Clarke    Smoker, 

114 
Divider,  Section,  66 
Driving  Irons,  154 
"  Dummy,"  61,  62 
Feeder,  144 

for  Queen  Bee  Hive,  94 

"  Eke  "    for  Increasing   Height 
of  Lift,  30 

W.B.C.   Beehive,  45 

Embedder,  56 

made  with  Floor  Brad,  57 

,  Woiblet  Spur,  57 

End  Spacers,   Staples  used  as. 
61 

,  Cast  Metal,  59 

,  Howard,  59 

,  W.B.   Tinplate,  59 

Entrance  Slides,  39 
Escape,  Cone,  17,  96 


Index, 


159 


Escape,  Porter,  98 
Excluder,  Queen,  63 
Extractor,  Cylinder,  123 

,  Gerster,  133 

,  Honey.  116—132 

,  Little  Wonder,  116 

,  Solar,  133 

,  Wax,  133—140 

Feeder,  American  Rapid,  145 

,  Float,  141 

,  Hone  Dummy,  144 

,  Rapid,  145 

.  Raynor,  142 

Feeding  Syrup,  67 

Fire  Box  of  Clarker  Smoker, 
113 

Float  Bee  Feeder,  141 

Floor  Bearer  for  Tiering  Bar- 
frame  Beehive,  35 

Board,  13 

,  Observatory   Beehive, 

68 

,  Tiering         Bar-frame 

Beehive,  34,  45 

Brad,      Embedder      made 

with,  57 

for  Tiering  Bar-frame  Bee- 
hive, 35 

Folding  Section,  65 
Foundation,  Fixing,  in  Frame, 
54 

,  Section  with,  64 

Frame-box  for  W.B.C.  Beehive, 

44 
Frames,     Abbot's    Broad-shoul- 
dered, 50 

,  American  Jointed,  52 

,  B.B.K.A.,  49 

,  Block,  for  Wiring,  54 

,  Broad-shouldered,  50 

,  Fixing  Foundation  in,  54 

,  Handle  for  Lifting,  88 

,  Hoffman  Self-spacing,  59 

,  Hooks  for  Lifting,  88 

for    Observatory    Beehive, 

72 

,  Self-spacing,  59 

,  Shoulderless,  50 

,  Standard,  49 

,  Wax  Sheet  fixed  in,  54 

with   W.B.C.    Metal   Ends, 

50 

Funnel  for  Bingham  Smoker, 
103 

Clarke  Smoker,  114 

Furnishing  Beehive,  48—66 

Gauge-board,  56 
Gerster  Extractor,  133 

Boiler,  138 

Comb  Basket,  138 

Steamer,  138 


Gerster  Extractor,  Using,  140 
Guide-board,  56 

Handle  for  Lifting  Frames,  88 
Hatchet  Stake,  103 
Hoffman  Self-spacing  Frame,  59 
Hone  Dummy  Feeder,  144 
Honey  Extractor,  Cylinder,  123 

,  Little  Wonder,  116 

,  Marketing,  64 

Hooks  for  Lifting  Frames,  88 
Howard  Tinplate  End,  59 

Inspection   Case    for   Beehives, 

84—88 
Irons,  Driving,  154 

Joint,  Tongue-and-groove,  34 

Knife,  Bingham,  155 

Legs  for  Stand  of  W.B.C.  Hive, 

45 
Lift,  Beehive,  16 
for    Observatory    Beehive, 

72 

Tiering         Bar-frame 

Beehive,  36 

W.B.C.  Beehive,  43 

Little  Wonder  Honey  Extractor, 

116 
Lining  of  Brood  Chamber,  17 

Makeshift  Hives.  19-24 
Marketing  Honey,  64 
Metal  Ends  for  Frames.  50,  59 
Mounting      Observatory      Bee- 
hives, 83 

Nest,  Brood,  12 

"  Neucleus  "  Hives,  20 

Observatory      Beehive      Brood 
Chamber,  69 

Floor-board,  68 

Frames,  72 

Internal  Frame,  74 

Interior  Fittings.   72 

Lift,  72 

,  Mounting,  83 

,  Permanent,  69—73 

Porch,  72 

Quilt  Covering,  73 

Roof,  72 

,  Stocking,  80 

Super,  73 

,  Temporary,  74—83 

Pine's  Cast  Metal  End,  49 
Pipe,  Cone  Blast,  107 
Pipe-cover  Queen  Bee  Cage,  152 
Porch  for  Beehive,  15 

Brackets,  39 

for    Observatory    Beehive, 

72 

Temporary  Hives,  25 


i6o  Beehives  and  Bee  Keepers*  Appliances, 


Porch  for  W.B.C.  Beehive,  41 
Porter  Bee  Escape,  98 

Queen  Bee  Cages,  152—154 
Rearing  Hive,  P9— 95 

Excluder,  63 

Quilts,  64,  73 

Rapid  Bee  Feeder,  145 
Raynor  Bee  Feeder,  142 
Regulating  Slides,  17 
Roof  for  Beehive,  16 

Gables,  Beehive,  37 

for    Observatory    Beehive, 

72 

Temporary  Hive»  22 

Tiering         Bar-frame 

Beehive,  37 

W.B.C.  Beehive,   43 

Wings,  Beehive,  38 

Section  Divider,  66 
,  Folding,  65 

with  Foundation,  64 

Sections,  Crate  for,  65 
Self-hiver,  148 

,  Alley's,  150 

,  Bennett's,  148 

Self-spacing  Frame,  59 

Slides,  Entrance,  for  Tiering 
Bar-frame  Beehive,  39 

,  Regulating,  17 

Smoker,  102—115 

,  BelloviTs  for,  108 

,  Bingham,  102 

,  Clarke,  112 

Diaphragm,  106 

Solar  Wax  Extractor,  133 

Spacing  Frames,  60 

Spring  for  Queen  Bee  Cage,  154 

Springs  for  Bellows  of  Bee 
Smokers,   108 

Spur  Embedder,  Woiblet,  57 

Stake,  Hatchet,  103 

Stand  for  Queen  Bee  Hive,  94 

W.B.C.  Hive,  45 

Standard  Frame,  49 

Staples  Used  as  End  Spacers, 
61 

Steamer  for  Gerster  Wax  Ex- 
tractor, 138 

Stocking  Beehive,  66,  67 

Observatory  Beehive,  80 

Super-clearers,  96—101 

*'  Supers,"  12 

■ for  Observatory  Beehives, 

73 


"  Supers,"  Removing,  101 

for  W.B.C.  Beehives,  44 

Surplus  Chambers,  12 
Swarm  Catcher,  150—152 
Syrup,  Feeding,  67 

Temporary  Beehive,  19—24 

Porch,   23 

Roof,  22 

Observatory  Beehive,   74— 

83 

Tiering  Bar-frame  Beehive,  25— 
40 

Body-box,  34,  35 

Entrance   Slides, 

39 

Floor-bearer,    35 

Gables,  37 

Lift,    36 

Main  Floor,  v35 

,  Materials  for,  26 

Roof,  37 

Hives,  11 

Tinplate  End,  W.B.C,  59 
Tongue-and-groove  Joint,  34 
Transferring  Board,   156 

Unicomb   Beehive,    Temporary. 
74  ^ 

Ventilation  of  Beehive,  17 

Wax  Extractors,  133—140 

,  Gerster,  133,  137 

,  Solar,   133 

Sheet,   Fixing,    in   Frame, 

54 
"W.B.C."  Beehive,   41—47 

Body-box,  44 

Brood  Chamber,  44 

Eke,  45 

Frame-box,   44 

Lift,  43 

Parts,  41 

Porch,  41 

Roof,  43 

Stand,  43 

Super,  44 

Metal  Ends,  50,  59 

Wings,  Beehive  Roof,  38 
Wiring      Frame      to      receive 

Foundation,  55 

Block,  54 

Woiblet  Spur  Embedder,  57 
Wood  for  Beehive  Construction, 


Printed  by  Cassell  &  Co.,  Limited,  La  Belle  Sauvage,  London,  B.C. 
20.607 


HANDICRAFT  SHRIJEiS  (continued). 

Electro-  Plating.     With  Numerous  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Introduction.  Tanks,  Vats,  and  other  Apparatus.  Batteries, 
Dynamos,  and  Electrical  Accessories.  Appliances  for  Preparing  and  Finishing 
Work.  Silver-Plating,  Copper-Plating.  Gold-PIating.  Nickel-Plating  and 
Cycle- Plating.  Finishing  Electro-Plated  Goods.  Electro-Plating  with  Various 
Metals  and  Alloys.     Index. 

Clay  Modelling  and  Plaster  Casting.    With  153  Engravings  and 

Diagrams. 

Violins  and  Other  Stringed  Instruments.    With  about  180 

Illustrations. 
G>«/^«/^.— Materials  and  Tools  for  Violin  Making.    Violin  Moulds.     Violin 
Making.     Varnishing  and  Finishing  Violins.     Double  Bass  and  a  Violoncello. 
Japanese   One-string  Violin.      Mandolin   Making.      Guitar   Making.      Banjo 
Making.     Zither  Making.     Dulcimer  Making.     Index. 

Glass  Writing,  Embossing,  and  Fascia  Work.    (Including 

the  Making  and  Fixing  of  Wood  Letters  and  Illuminated  Signs.)     With 

129  Illustrations. 
Contents.— V\3i\n  Lettering  and  Simple  Tablets.  Gold  Lettering.  Blocked 
Letters.  Stencil  Cutting.  Gold  Etching.  Embossing.  French  or  Treble 
Embossing.  Incised  Fascias,  Stall-plates,  and  Grained  Background.  Letters 
in  Perspective  ;  Spacing  Letters.  Arrangement  of  Wording  and  Colors.  Wood 
Letters.  Illuminated  Signs.  Temporary  Signs  for  Windows.  Imitation 
Inlaid  Signs.     Imitation  Mosaic  Signs.    Specimen  Alphabets.     Index. 

Photographic  Chemistry.     With  31  Engravings  and  Diagrams. 

Photographic  Studios  and  Dark  Rooms.     With  180  Illus- 
trations. 

Contents. — Planning  Studios.  Building  Studios.  Portable  and  Temporary 
Studios.  Studios  Improvised  from  Greenhouses,  Dwelling  Rooms,  etc. 
Lighting  of  Studios.  Backgrounds.  Scenic  Accessories.  Dark-Rooms.  Portable 
Dark-Rooms.     Dark-Room  Fittings.     Portable  Dark  Tent.     Index. 

Motor   Bicycle   Building.     With  137  Illustrations  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Frame  for  Motor  Bicycle.  Patterns  for  Frame  Castings.  Build- 
ing Frame  from  Castings.  Making  3^  H.  P.  Petrol  Motor.  Spray  Carburettor 
for  3^  fi.  P.  Motor.  Ignition  Coils  for  Motor  Cycles.  Light-weight  Petrol 
Motor  for  Attachment  to  Roadster  Bicycle.  Spray  Carburettor  for  Light- 
weight Motor.    Index. 

Rustic  Carpentry.     With  172  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Light  Rustic  Work,  Flower  Stands,  Vases,  etc.  Tables,  Chairs 
and  Seats.  Gates  and  Fences.  Rosery  Work,  Porch,  Swing  Canopy  Aviary, 
Footbridges  Verandahs.  Tool  Houses,  Garden  Shelters,  etc.  Summer  Houses, 
Dovecot.     Index. 

Pumps  and   Ramsl   Their  Action  and  Construction. 

With  171  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Suction  Pumps  and  Lift  Pumps.  Making  Simple  Suction  Pumps. 
Pump  Cup  Leathers,  Pump  Valves,  Ram  or  Plunger  Pumps.  Making  Bucket 
and  Plunger  Pump.  Construction  of  Plumbers'  Force  Pump,  Wooden  Pumps, 
Small  Pumps  for  Special  Purposes,  Centrifugal  Pumps,  Air  Lift,  Mammoth, 
and  Pulsometer  Pumps,  Hydraulic  Rams.  Index. 
Domestic  Jobbing.     With  107  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Cutlery  Grinding,  Sharpening  and  Repairing.     Simple  Soldering 
and  Brazing.     China  Riveting  and  Repairing.     Chair  Caning,  Furniture  Re- 
pairing, Glazing  Windows,  Umbrella  Making  and  Repairing.     Index. 
Tinplate  Work.     With  280  Illustrations  and  Diagrams. 

Contents. — Tinmen's  Tools,  Appliances  and  Materials.  Elementary  Ex- 
amples in  Tinplate.  Hollowing  Tinplate.  Simple  Round  Articles  in/Tinplate. 
Saucepan  Making.  Square  and  Oval  Kettle  Making.  Oil  Cooking  Stove. 
Set  of  Workshop  Oil  Cans.  Fancy  Paste  Cutters.  Lamps  and  Lanterns. 
Index. 

Other  Volumes  in  Preparation. 

DAVID  McKAY,  Publisher.  610  South  Washingtoa  Square,  Philadelphia. 


"  N.  HASLUCK.  With  numerous  Illustrations  in  the  Text. 
Each  book  contains  about  1 60  pages,  crown  8vo.  Cloth, 
jjji.oo  each,  postpaid. 

Practical  Draughtsmen's  Work.    With 226 Illustrations. 

Contents. — Drawing  Boards.  Paper  and  Mounting.  Draughtsmen's  Instru- 
ments. Drawing  Straight  Lines.  Drawing  Circular  Lines.  Elliptical  Curves. 
Projection.  Back  Lining  Drawings.  Scale  Drawings  and  Maps.  Colouring 
Drawings.     Making  a  Drawing.     Index. 

Practical   Gasfitting.     With  120  Illustrations. 

Contents. — How  Coal  Gas  is  Made.  Coal  Gas  from  the  Retort  to  the  Gas 
Holder.  Gas  Supply  from  Gas  Holder  to  Meter.  Laying  the  Gas  Pipe  in  the 
House.  Gas  Meters.  Gas  Burners.  Incandescent  Lights.  Gas  Fittings  in 
Workshops  and  Theatres.  Gas  Fittings  for  Festival  Illuminations.  Gas  Fires 
and  Cooking  Stoves.     Index. 

Practical  Staircase  Joinery.    With 215  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Introduction  :  Explanation  of  Terms.  Simple  Form  of  Staircase 
— Housed  String  Stair :  Measuring,  Planning,  and  Setting  Out.  Two-flight 
Staircase.  Staircase  with  Winders  at  Bottom.  Staircase  with  Winders  at  Top 
and  Bottom.  Staircase  with  Half-space  of  Winders.  Staircase  over  an  Oblique 
Plan.  Staircase  with  Open  or  Cut  Strings.  Cut  String  Staircase  with  Brackets. 
Open  String  Staircase  with  Bull  nose  Step.  Geometrical  Staircases.  Winding 
Staircases.     Ships'  Staircases.    Index. 

Practical  Metal  Plate  Work.    With  247  Illustrations 

Contents. — Materials  used  in  Metal  Plate  Work.  Geometrical  Construction 
of  Plane  Figures.  Geometrical  Construction  and  Development  of  Solid 
Figures.  Tools  and  Appliances  used  in  Metal  Plate  Work.  Soldering  and 
Brazing.  Tinning.  Re-tinning  and  Galvanising.  Examples  of  Practical 
Metal  Plate  Work.     Examples  of  Practical  Pattern  Drawing.     Index. 

Practical  Grainina  and  Marbling,    with  79  illustrations. 

Contents. — Graining:  Introduction,  Tools,  and  Mechanical  Aids.  Graining 
Grounds  and  Graining  Colors,  Oak  Graining  in  Oil.  Oak  Graining  in  Spirit 
and  Water  Colours.  Pollard  Oak  and  Knotted  Oak  Graining.  Maple  Graining 
Mahogany  and  Pitch-pine  Graining.  Walnut  Graining,  i'ancy  Wood  Grain- 
ing. Furniture  Graining  Imitating  Woods  by  Staining.  Imitating  Inlaid 
Woods.  Marbling :  Introduction,  Tools,  and  Materials.  Imitating  Varieties 
of  Marble.     Index. 

Painters'    Oils     Colors  and   Varnishes.     With    Numerous 

Illustrations. 
Contents. — Painters'  Oils.  Color  and  Pigments.  White  Pigments.  Blue 
Pigments.  Chrome  Pigments.  Lake  Pigments.  Green  Pigments.  Red  Pig- 
ments. Brown  and  Black  Pigments.  Yellow  and  Orange  Pigments.  Bronze 
Colors.  Driers.  Paint  Grinding  and  Mixing.  Gums,  Oils,  and  Solvents  for 
Varnishes.     Varnish  Manufacture.     Index. 

Practical  Plumbers'  Work.    With  298  illustrations. 

Contents. — Materials  and  Tools  Used.  Solder  and  How  to  Make  It.  Sheet 
Lead  Working.  Pipe  Bending.  Pipe  Jointing.  Lead  Burning.  Lead- Work 
on  Roofs.     Index. 

Practical  Pattern  Making.    With  295  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Foundry  Patterns  and  Foundry  Practice.  Jointing-up  Patterns. 
Finishing  Patterns.  Circular  Patterns.  Making  Core  Boxes.  Boring  Holes 
in  Castings.  Patterns  and  Moulds  for  Iron  Columns.  Steam-Engine  Cylinder 
Patterns  and  Core  Boxes.  Worm  Wheel  Pattern.  Lathe  Bed  Patterns. 
Head  Stock  and  Poppet  Patterns.  Slide-rest  Patterns.  Valve  Patterns  and 
Core  Boxes.     Index. 

Practical  Handrailing.    With  144  illustrations. 

Contents.— ^iinc\^\&&  of  Handrailing.  Definition  of  Terms.  Geometrical 
Drawing.  Simple  Handrails.  Wreathed  Handrails  on  the  Cylindrical  System. 
The  Uses  of  Models.  Obtaining  Tangents  and  Bevels.  Face  Moulds  :  their 
Construction  and  Use.  Twisting  the  Wreath.  Completing  the  Handrail. 
Orthogonal  or  Right-angle  System  of  Setting  Wreathed  Handrails.  Handrails 
for  Stone  Stairs.  Setting  out  Scrolls  for  Handrails.  Setting  out  Moulded 
Caps.    Intcrsectiiig  Handrails  without  Basements.    Index. 


TnCHNICAh  INSTRUCTION  {continued). 
Practical  Brickwork.    w«th  368  Illustrations. 

Contents. — English  and  Flemish  Bonds.  Garden  and  Boundary  Walls. 
Bonds  for  Square  Angles.  Excavations,  Foundations,  and  Footings.  Junctions 
of  Cross  Walls.  Reveals,  Piers.  Angles  and  other  Bonds.  Jointing  and 
Pointing.  .Damp-proof  Courses  and  Construction.  Hollow  or  Cavity  Walls. 
Chimneys  and  Fireplaces.  Gauged  Work  and  Arches.  Niches  and  Domes. 
Oriel  Windows. 

Practical  Painters*  Work.     With  Numerous  illustrations. 

Contents. — Objects,  Principles  and  Processes  of  Painting.  Painters'  Tools 
and  Appliances.  Materials  used  by  Painters.  Preparing  Surfaces  for  Paint- 
ing, Painting  Woodwork,  Painting  Ironwork,  Painting  Stucco  or  Plaster; 
Distempering  and  Whitewashing  Color  Combination.  House  Painting.  Varnish 
and  Varnishing.  Stains  and  Staining.  Estimating  and  Measuring  Painters* 
Work.     Index. 

Textile    Fabrics   and    Their    Preparation   for    Dyeing. 

With  Numerous  Illustrations. 
Contents. — Cotton.     Flax,    Jute,  and    China    Grass.     Wool.     Silk.     Cotton 
Bleaching.     Linen    Bleaching.     Mercerising.     Wool    Scouring   and    Bleaching, 
Scouring  and  Bleaching  Silk.     Water.     About  Dyeing.     Index. 

Coloring    Matters   for    Dyeing   Textiles.     With  Numerous 

Illustrations. 
Contents. — Indigo  Coloring  Matters.  Logwood  Coloring  Matters.  Natural 
Red  and  Yellow  Coloring  Matters.  Aniline  Coloring  Matters.  Azo  Coloring 
Matters.  Anthracene  Coloring  Matters.  Chrome  Yellow,  Iron  Buff,  Man- 
ganese Brown,  Prussian  Blue,  Method  of  Devising  Experiments  in  Dyeing. 
Estimation  of  the  Value  of  Coloring  Matters.     Index. 

Sanitary  Construction  in  Building.    With  131  Illustrations. 

Contents. — Introductory.  Soils,  Subsoils,  and  Sites.  Materials  of  Construc- 
tion. Footings,  Foundations,  and  Damp-proof  Courses.  Stability  of  Walls. 
Roofs.  Floors,  Hearths,  and  Staircases.  Air  Space  and  Ventilation.  A 
Typical  Dwelling.     Index. 

Iron'.  Its  Sources,  Properties,  and  Manufacture.    With 

Numerous  Illustrations. 
Contents. — Introductory;  Terms  Explained.  Refractory  Materials,  Crucibles, 
etc.  Ores  of  Iron.  Metallurgical  Chemistry  of  Iron.  Cast  Iron  or  Pig  Iron. 
Preparation  of  the  Ores.  Changes  in  the  Blast  Furnace.  Blast  Furnace. 
Air  Supply.  Blowing  Engines  Working  the  Blast  Furnace.  By-products. 
Malleable  or  Wrought  Iron.  Production  of  Malleable  Iron.  Preparation  of 
Malleable  Iron  in  Open  Hearths.  Puddling.  Refining  Pig  Iron  and  Dry 
Puddling.     Forge  Machinery.     Iron-rolling  Mill.     Index. 

Steel :     Its  Varieties,    Properties,  and    Manufacture. 

With  132  Engravings  and  Diagrams.  By  William  Henry  Greenwood. 

Revised  and  Rewritten  by  A.  Humboldt  Sexton. 
Contents. — Steel:  Its  Properties  and  Manufacture.  The  Bessemer  Process. 
The  Basic  Bessemer  Process.  Modifications  of  the  Bessemer  Process.  Gas 
Producers  and  the  Siemens  Furnace.  The  Siemens  or  Open-hearth  Steel 
Process.  The  Basic  Open-hearth  Process.  Modifications  of  the  Open-hearth 
Process.  Steel  Works  Appliances.  The  Cementation  and  Monor  Steel  Pro- 
cesses. Casting  Steel.  Forging  and  Rolling  Steel.  Microscopic  Structure  of 
Steel.  Heat  Treatment  of  Steel.  Theory  of  Steel.  Testing  Steel.  Specifica- 
tions of  Steel  for  Various  Purposes.     Alloy  Steels.     Index. 

Other  New  Volatnes  in  Preparation, 

DAVID  McKAY,  Publisher.  610  South  Washington  Square,  Philadelphia. 


fe^ 


